Aircraft producer Airbus will be expanding its joint-venture maintenance unit Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE) and establishing a new Airbus customer services center in Malaysia as the first in a series of projects to increase its footprint in the fast-growing Southeast Asian region.
The company made the announcement early this month at the launch ceremony of the construction of a second hangar at SAE in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The new hangar, which will specialize in the maintenance and overhaul of Airbus single-aisle aircraft, will have a floor area of 13,000 square meters and a capacity to accommodate three A320 Family aircraft for major maintenance checks. The existing hangar, on the other hand, can accommodate six single-aisle aircraft at any one time.
The new Airbus customer services facility, which is 100 percent owned by Airbus, will be located near SAE, providing 24/7 specialized major aircraft engineering and repair services. The manufacturer has similar customer support services in Toulouse, France; Wichita, U.S.; and Beijing, China.
“The announcements we are making today reflect the enormous potential we see for the aerospace industry in Southeast Asia,” said Fabrice Brégier, president and CEO of Airbus. “With a skilled talent pool, quality workmanship and competitive cost base, Malaysia is one of the countries that have the right ingredients to become a key partner for Airbus.”
The Asia-Pacific region is a core market for Airbus, accounting for 31 percent of all orders recorded by the company to date.
