Airbus sets up regional service centre near Kuala Lumpur
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Malaysia has consolidated its position as one of the three leading countries in the Asia-Pacific region for aircraft maintenance, repairs and overhaul services, with Airbus setting up a new customer services centre for specialised aerospace engineering se
The centre is part of Airbus’ global expansion efforts. It already has centres in Toulouse, Hamburg, Wichita and Beijing.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the already existing Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE) facility would be able to offer world-class maintenance services to airlines, while the new Airbus facility would put Malaysia on the international map as a centre for specialised aerospace engineering services.
“Both initiatives will enhance our position in this high-value business. It will also provide further proof that Malaysia is a major player in the aircraft maintenance business in the region,” he said.
He added that this business was projected to grow by 10 per cent annually, with new projects creating 20,000 jobs in the country.
“This year, our Entry Point Projects target is 380 million ringgit [Bt3.7 billion] in revenue from fleet technical management and 2.4 billion ringgit from airframe,” he said.
Najib said several initiatives were already under way to develop the system, including the greater development of Malaysia’s airport infrastructure, the availability of land and the creation of a more conducive operating environment through improved tax and civil aviation regulations.
“We are confident these [initiatives] will continue to make Malaysia a preferred [aircraft maintenance] destination,” he said.
Najib added that Malaysia was able to stay competitive because of the sheer volume of business in this region, coupled with its advantage of an early foray into the sector and an edge in quality human capital at far more competitive rates.
Airbus president and chief executive officer Fabrice Bregier said the commitment showed by Airbus reflected the enormous potential the company saw for the aerospace industry in Southeast Asia.
