Selangor Journal: Selangor maiden air show to jump-start growth of aviation industry - MB
SUBANG, Nov 25 — The inaugural Selangor Aviation Show 2021 (SAS 2021), hosted by the state government and organised by Invest Selangor Berhad, is an opportunity to kick-start the aerospace industry into higher gear, says Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
The Menteri Besar said that though many remain cautious of their surroundings due to the current Covid-19 situation, the in-person SAS 2021 is a major leap of faith as it is a turning point for the state government to focus on rebuilding the economy and industry.
“Apart from stimulating growth and rebuilding in areas like aerospace manufacturing, airports and airlines, I am informed that the business and general aviation sub-sector in Malaysia needs to see more flight activities locall
“The challenge is there for us to grow the flight activities here — and especially on how to attract more international business jet arrivals to Malaysia, particularly to Subang Airport.
“This effort needs all hands on deck, so we look to you to support this effort to bring more flights into our airspace,” said Amirudin in a pre-recorded video broadcast during the official ceremony of SAS 2021 at the SkyPark Regional Aviation Centre, here, today.
Citing several examples of where Malaysia’s aviation industry stands, Amirudin said Malaysia has 51 business jets and 133 turbine helicopters according to the Asian Sky Group’s latest Q3 Quarterly Report 2021. In comparison, he said Australia has four times more than Malaysia’s business jet fleet and 6.5 times more turbine helicopters despite the country recording a lower population base.
“Even more revealing, the NetJet Business Aircraft Database indicated that as of July 2021, there were 22,770 business jets in service worldwide. Considering that Malaysia only has 51 business jets out of this global total, I can optimistically say there is plenty of room for us to grow the industry here,” he said.
Amirudin said the state is also aware that increasing flight activities would boost the supply chain of the aviation industry ecosystem in Selangor.
He said this includes ground service providers, the maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) and engineering service providers, flight crew organizations, training providers and professional services such as legal, financial and taxation professions.
He said it is also crucial to find ways to encourage and enable viable aircraft ownership.
“Nonetheless, all of these are recognized as necessary variables to stimulate the entire Business and General Aviation sector’s supply chain ecosystem.
“I would like to thank state executive councillor for trade and investment Dato’ Teng Chang Khim and Invest Selangor Berhad (Invest Selangor) for their foresight, capitalizing on this movement and to push the ‘reset’ button for the recovery of the aerospace industry, firstly by tapping into the potential of the business and general aviation sub-sector in Selangor,” he said.
The three-day SAS 2012 event, which expects to see some 5,000 visitors, has attracted international players from Brazil, France, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States. Amirudin is expected to attend the event later this evening.
Some 43 local and international companies from the aerospace and aviation industry are participating in the event, either on the tarmac or at exhibition booths at the venue.
The air show will be open to the public on November 27 (Saturday). Visitors must register and schedule their visits accordingly to allow the organiser to monitor the crowd. Visit www.selangoraviationshow.com for more details on the show.
