SUBANG – Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will collaborate with Dassault Aviation subsidiary ExecuJet MRO Services Malaysia to set up Asia’s centre of excellence for business jet maintenance with an investment of over RM100 million.
MAHB managing director Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said the new facility, which would span 144,000 sq ft at Subang Airport and accommodate up to 45 aircraft per month, is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2023.
“Subang Airport has been pioneering the maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) for aerospace and aviation since 2005. It forms part of the group’s larger Aeropolis development, which focuses on the three core clusters of aerospace and aviation, cargo and logistics, and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) and leisure.
“Aeropolis is the integrated and synergistic off-terminal development that focuses on key economic growth activities which are aligned to the national blueprint,” he said at the collaboration document exchange ceremony here today.
He further added that the ultimate aim of Aeropolis was to create an aviation ecosystem that could attract foreign direct investments by global operators.
Based on the current ecosystem that exists at Subang Airport, he said it is well on track to realise this ambition as the airport’s aerospace ecosystem is recognised as an integral part of the global aerospace manufacturing and assembly value chain as well as a regional MRO hub for general aviation.
“Apart from attracting foreign investment and contributing to the local economy, we will be enhancing human capital by upskilling local talent with technical knowledge and new capabilities, whereby ExecuJet will be investing heavily in training its local workforce,” he said.
ExecuJet is one of many established global aviation players currently based at Subang Airport, having operated there since early 2009. It is the largest business aircraft MRO service provider in Malaysia.
The strategic collaboration will see MAHB subleasing 186,000 sq ft to ExecuJet to build a new state-of-the-art MRO hangar for private jets at Subang Airport, with space for hangarage, maintenance, workshops and corporate offices, Iskandar said.
Meanwhile, regional vice-president of ExecuJet MRO Services Ivan Lim said this new RM100 million investment for ExecuJet’s expansion – which includes the purpose-built facility, equipment upgrading and training – would advance the facility to the next level.
“At our current facility of about 52,000 sq ft, we are doing about 30 jets a month at the moment, and about 40 jets a month pre-pandemic. With the new facility, we expect to cater to 45 to 50 jets a month,” he said.
He noted that the current facility has about 70 technical staff members, which are expected to grow to about 100 in the next five years.
On the outlook for MRO services, Lim said the industry remained resilient despite being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, but added it is very much dependent on the number of aircraft in the region.
“However, it is obvious that general and business aviation had recovered much quicker than commercial aviation post-pandemic particularly in this region, hence we are very confident in this market and investment,” he added. – Bernama, November 26, 2021
