PETALING JAYA: The move to turn the area around the Subang Airport into a thriving aerotropolis took on another significant step with the unveiling of the state-of-the-art civilian aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operated by ExecuJet MRO Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a division of Dassault Aviation.
According to Transport Minister Anthony Loke, aviation is not just about airlines, but also about having a competent MRO ecosystem to support the country's ambition to be a regional centre of excellence for aviation.
In this regard, the reinvention of Subang Airport under the Subang Airport Regeneration Programme (SARP) calls for more than just the number of airlines or connectivity.
"It's about positioning Malaysia as a centre for MRO and aerospace in the region and across all segments of the aviation industry," said Loke in his speech at the official opening ceremony of ExecuJet's facility on Tuesday (May 2).
The facility takes up land measuring close to 14,000sqm (3.46 acres) and began construction in 2019.
"When people think aviation, they think airlines, but there is so much more to the aviation industry.
"Today's official opening of ExecuJet's internationally-certified MRO facility reinforces Malaysia's position as a regional centre for MRO, and highlights the importance of Asia as a growing business aviation market," he said.
"Just like cars that need regular servicing, aircraft also need to undergo maintenance," he said in underscoring the importance of having in place a competent MRO ecosystem as part of the drive to be a regional aviation centre.
"This also marks the start of a local recruitment drive that will give Malaysians the opportunity to be internationally certified as maintenance technicians and engineers in a vibrant, high-tech industry that is truly global," he said at the event.
The event was also attended by French Ambassador to Malaysia Axel Cruau, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) CEO Datuk Capt Norazman Mahmud, Worldwide Falcon Customer Service and Service Centre Network for Dassault Aviation senior VP Jean Kayanakis, ExecuJet MRO Services president Graeme Duckworth and ExecuJet MRO Services regional VP (Asia) Ivan Lim.
In his speech, Duckworth said while the current clientele of ExecuJet were mainly Malaysian operators, the net was being expanded to cover the greater Asian region.
"We are certified by United States and European authorities, along with many other regional regulators, and we are expanding the list of certification," he said of ExecuJet, which began here as a tiny outfit 15 years ago.
"We started off with just a few personnel, operating from a shared hangar until it grew into a business in its own right," said Duckworth, who applauded the government's foresight in fostering a competent aviation MRO hub that will create more high-value employment.
"We should have a staff strength of 100 by year-end and have strong relations with universities. We will be having three aircraft engineers in due course," he said.
For its core business, ExecuJet supports the entire installed base of the Dassault range of aircraft throughout the Asian region, and aircraft at any of the regional Asian hubs. In addition to this, the Malaysian team is also highly competent in supporting Bombardier and Gulfstream business aircraft models.
"We are open to servicing any brand of civilian aircraft upon demand," Kayanakis told The Star when asked whether ExecuJet is open to supporting all the existing aircraft in the market.
