Subang Airport takes flight with cutting-edge MRO facility

PETALING JAYA: The move to turn the area around Subang Airport into a thriving aerotropolis took another significant step with the unveiling of the state-of-the-art civilian aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility operated by ExecuJet MRO Services, a subsidiary of the French-based Dassault Aviation Company.

According to Transport Minister Anthony Loke, the reinvigoration of Subang Airport under the Subang Airport Regeneration Programme (SARP) calls for more than just having more airlines.

“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 here yesterday.

The facility that sits on land leased for 45 years from Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd measures close to 1.4ha. Its construction began 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,” said Loke, underscoring the importance of having in place a competent MRO ecosystem as part of the drive to be a centre of excellence for aviation.

“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, adding that ExecuJet’s facility is an important part of SARP, which is expected to be a magnet for executive jets, among others.

Also present at the event were French Ambassador to Malaysia Axel Cruau, Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Capt Norazman Mahmud, Worldwide Falcon Customer Service and Service Centre Network for Dassault Aviation senior vice-president Jean Kayanakis, ExecuJet MRO Services president Graeme Duckworth and ExecuJet MRO Services regional vice-president (Asia) Ivan Lim.

In his speech, Duckworth said while the current clientele of ExecuJet is mainly Malaysian operators, the net is being widened to cover the greater Asian region.

“We are certified by US and European authorities, along with many other regional regulators, and we are expanding the list of certifications,” 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 the creation of a MRO hub that will create more high-value employment.

“We should have a staff strength of 100 by year-end and strong relations with universities. In due course, we will have three aircraft engineers.”

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.