As part of ongoing efforts to develop Subang Airport (SZB) into an aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), one of the world’s largest airport operator groups, has started the MYR 1.3 billion (USD 314 million) Subang Airport (SZB) regeneration project. The project is expected to generate over MYR 5 billion (USD 1.2) billion in economic production and generate over 10,000 employment opportunities in the following five years.
MAHB’s subsidiary, KLIA Aeropolis that undertakes airport city development for the Group’s network, highlighted that around MYR 300 million (USD 72 million) would be allocated for common infrastructure and MYR 1 billion (USD 242 million) will be used for building lettable facilities such as hangars, factories, and workshops and for maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO). SZB will have an additional eight million sq ft (743,224 sq m) in additional capacity for airside, landslide, and common infrastructure facilities when it is finished.
SZB is anticipated to leverage the same global technology platforms and vendors used in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to gain access to global practices and standards while establishing synergy in passenger experience. MAHB has achieved 40-50% take-up for tenants for both airside and landside, with the new facilities equipped to accommodate 89 single-aisle aircraft and helicopters on the dedicated apron and common use apron.
Subang Airport now contains over 60 aerospace and aviation companies specializing in turboprops, business aviation, helicopters, MRO (ATR and business jets), aero-manufacturing, and logistics, which employed 4,000 high-skilled staff, and generated about MYR 1.7 billion (USD 411 million) in annual revenues in 2020.
The Subang Airport Regeneration Plan 2025 will be mostly funded by MAHB and other industry players. The initial development for the master plan would commence in early 2022 with the setting up of two MRO facilities for helicopters, light aircraft, and business jets, to be operationalized by 2023. By the second half of 2020, the Group will also engage with multidisciplinary consultants that can provide related design and construction services.
(Sources: New Straits Times; The Edge Markets)
