LANGKAWI: Malaysia will benefit from
business opportunities in the maintenance, repair and operations (MRO)
services, as the Asia-Pacific will need almost 13,000 new planes, worth
US$1.9 trillion over the next decade.
Deputy International Trade and Industry
Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong said during this period, the region would
account for 36% of global deliveries of passenger and freight planes,
according to a forecast by Boeing.
“The new aircraft would require services from the the aerospace supply chain.
“These services include engineering,
electronics, composite materials, as well as manufacturing and systems
integration, which will benefit Malaysia, as it is a well known MRO
centre,” he said at a Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida)
forum on the aerospace industry in conjunction with the 13th Langkawi
International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.
Lee was representing International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.
He said there were so far 41 projects in the
aerospace sector with total investments of RM5.3bil, of which 19 were
projects in the MRO sector.
“Last year alone, the industry attracted
seven projects worth RM682bil in approved investments, of which 27%
(RM187bil) came from foreign sources,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mida chief executive officer
Datuk Azman Mahmud said trained manpower was necessary to cater to the
demand, as the aerospace industry needed highly specialised skills.
“There have been significant improvement in
the aerospace sector since 1997, which had benefited from training
institutions such as the Advanced Composite Training Centre at
UniKL-Malaysia Institute of Aviation Technology, the Advanced
Aeronautics Technology Centre as well as related diploma and degree
levels at public universities.
Azman said the eighth initiative under the
National Aerospace Blueprint (2015 to 2030) launched by Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Tuesday was dedicated to talent
development for the aerospace sector. At the 13th LIMA, Najib had
launched the blueprint, which focused on the country’s aspirations to
become the leading aerospace nation in South-East Asia by 2030.
Najib had said Malaysia’s aerospace industry
was projected to contribute RM32.5bil in revenue, providing 32,000
high-income jobs by 2030.
Najib had added that the Cabinet recently
approved the establishment of the National Aerospace Coordinating
Agency, which will become the new secretariat for the Malaysian
Aerospace Council.
