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Dassault invests RM100m MRO facility in Subang Airport
by FAYYADH JAFFAR
Dassault Aviation from France to build regional business jet maintenance centre worth USD 24 million in Malaysia, operational in 2023

FRENCH firm Dassault Aviation S.A. (Dassault) is investing up to RM100 million to set up a new MRO facility in Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport or commonly known as Subang Airport.

The aviation company said the facility, to be positioned as Dassault Aviation’s Asia ‘Centre of Excellence’ for MRO, will be completed by Q4 2023.

This new facility will span 144,000 square feet and accommodate up to 45 aircraft per month. The one-stop centre for business jets will carry out line and heavy maintenance on Dassault, Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft as well as interior refurbishment through Dassault’s ExecuJet MRO Services (ExecuJet), a subsidiary of Dassault Aviation.

The strategic collaboration will see Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) subleasing 186,000 square feet of land 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.

The partnership was made in conjunction with the inaugural Selangor Aviation Show, taking place at the Regional Aviation Centre, Subang Airport, from November 25 to 27, 2021, organised by Invest Selangor.

Speaking during a media conference held today, MAHB MD Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said that this new collaboration between Malaysia Airports and ExecuJet will enhance Malaysia as a regional business aviation hub.

He added that the new facility will be a key component of Malaysia Airports’ strategy to position Subang as a premier business aviation airport.

“The Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, commonly known as Subang Airport, has been pioneering the MRO for aerospace and aviation since 2005,” he said.

“It forms part of the group’s larger Aeropolis development, which focuses on the three core clusters of Aerospace & Aviation, Cargo & Logistics, and MICE & Leisure.

“The new MRO facility will be positioned as Dassault Aviation’s Centre of Excellence for MRO services in Asia, thus contributing to our ambition of making Subang Airport the most preferred aerospace and business aviation hub in Asia Pacific,” Iskandar said further.

The Aeropolis initiative attempts to create an aviation ecosystem that can attract foreign direct investments by global operators, as well as provide a platform for local companies to participate in the industry.

“Based on the current ecosystem that exists in Subang Airport right now, I am optimistic that the group is well on track to achieve this ambition,” he said, asserting that the new MRO facility will be a key component of MAHB’s strategy to position Subang Airport as a premier business aviation airport.

“Today, the Subang Airport 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.”

Iskandar also added that the new facility will open doors to more job opportunities and increase the skilled workforce in the country.

“Apart from attracting foreign investment and contributing to the local economy, we will be enhancing human capital by upskilling local talents with technical knowledge and new capabilities. ExecuJet will be investing heavily in training their local workforce.”

According to Iskandar, MAHB is a home for over 60 leading global and local operators, employing over 4,000 highly skilled technical workforces, as these operators collectively contributed RM5.7 billion in annual revenue in 2020, which accounts for almost 50% of the national aerospace revenue.

https://themalaysianreserve.com/2021...-0-gaNycGzNDFE