Ambassador Maria Theresa P. Lazaro (5th from right), Mr. Peter Edwards, CEO of Jet Aviation (4th from right,) Labor Attaché Manuel Imson (far right), and Consul Lillibeth Pono (far left) with Filipino engineers from Jet Aviation

Ambassador Lazaro Visits Jet Aviation in Basel

22 September 2010- Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro visited the Jet Aviation company in Basel Switzerland, accompanied by Philippine Labor Attaché Atty. Manuel Imson of Philippine Mission Geneva and Consul Lillibeth V. Pono.

Jet Aviation which has close to 5,100 employees in its facilities in Europe, Middle East, Asia and the Americas, provides a wide range of services from engineering-design and maintenance of aircrafts to design-completion of interiors and refurbishments of modern executive planes.

In its main facility in Basel, Jet Aviation employs around 40 Filipino engineers and technicians. Many are metal sheet workers while others are planning engineers and quality control inspectors. Most of them come from other aviation /airline companies and were recruited from different parts of the world,

The Ambassador’s meeting with the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Edwards, may open prospects for both the Philippine labor market and the Philippine aviation service industry.

Mr. Edwards expressed recognition of their Filipino personnel’s technical capability and expertise, and responded positively to the Embassy’s offer to open channels of communication between the company and Philippine labor office, for the company’s future plan to directly hire Filipinos.

The company president likewise gave his opinion that the Philippines should look into the possibility of fully maximizing the reciprocal aviation potential of Clark Air Base whose facilities, they consider, are under-utilized.

Ambassador Lazaro’s visit was concluded with a tour of the Jet Aviation high-tech hangars where she met with the company’s Filipino employees in their respective workplaces. The latter expressed pride and satisfaction with the attention given to them by the Philippine Embassy.