KUALA LUMPUR (March 22): The Selangor state government has expressed its frustration with the federal government's inaction over the establishment of a dedicated private terminal for business aviation at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, also known as Subang Skypark.
State executive councillor Datuk Teng Chang Khim said he is disappointed by the lack of positive response from the federal government about the terminal, even after Selangor mooted the proposal over two years ago, before the start of the pandemic.
The business aviation industry has been noted to be a growing segment as more business travellers opt to fly on private jets as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic rather than using commercial flights, due to fewer restrictions.
"We have made the proposal, but we have not been able to get a positive response from the federal government. We are very disappointed with this. We have mooted this idea two years ago before the pandemic, and I myself have tried to chair two meetings but I have not been able to obtain the response from the relevant agencies from the federal government.
"We should have been far-sighted to look into making Selangor, especially Subang airport, to be the hub for business jets, whereby a special terminal for business jets can be set up. I believe we have the capability and potential to compete with other airports in this region," he said at a press conference today following the soft launch of the Selangor Aviation Show 2021 (SAS 2021).
Other countries in the region that have established such terminals in their respective airports include Seletar Airport in Singapore, Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
In 2009, the Subang airport opened the Skypark terminal, a fixed-based operator and regional aviation centre that aimed to enhance the country's business aviation offering. At present, Malaysia does not have any exclusive business aviation terminal, but the Subang Skypark terminal has the Skypark Business Aviation Centre that serves the private and corporate aviation sector.
One of the hurdles in proceeding with its plans, Teng highlighted, is that the lands surrounding the Subang Skypark do not belong to the state government, but they are owned by the federal government through Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
"We are working very hard to push for this idea and to make it realised but unfortunately we have not been able to obtain the support from the federal government. So I hope that the federal government will look into this," Teng said.
"I don't know why. They don't seem to be interested... But they are the one which has the authority to say whether the project can be carried out," he added.
Earlier, Invest Selangor Bhd announced the soft launch of the SAS 2021, scheduled to be organised by its aerospace industry's dedicated division, the Selangor Darul Ehsan Aerospace Industry Coordination Office (S-DAICO), on Aug 12-14 to revitalise the aviation industry.
The event will bring together various stakeholders in aerospace and aviation, creating potential business and investment opportunities, targeting to draw at least 5,000 visitors and 30 exhibitors from local and international companies.
Invest Selangor claimed the state has provided the most conducive ecosystem, housing over 200 aerospace- and aviation-related players, representing 62% of the total aerospace companies in Malaysia, covering various activities including electrical parts manufacturing and servicing, manufacturing, repair and overhaul (MRO), design and system integration, general aviation, aircraft interiors and many more.
According to Invest Selangor chief executive officer Datuk Hasan Azhari Idris, the aerospace industry has become one of Selangor's key focus sectors over the last five years, with the establishment of the Selangor Aerospace Council.
Through the council, Selangor also established a dedicated action plan that is the Selangor Aerospace Action Plan 2020-2030. He said the S-DAICO division was set up to coordinate and promote the action plans identified to spur the development of the industry’s ecosystem over the next decade.
Selangor has outlined about 30 action plans under the framework, to be carried out by both the federal and state governments in order to position Selangor as a major hub for the aerospace industry in Southeast Asia, focusing on MRO.
"Of course we are not targeting a very large crowd due to the travel restrictions and also the SOPs (standard operating procedures) imposed by the MKN (National Security Council). However, with the more relaxed SOPs, we hope that this first event would attract quality exhibitors as well as visitors," Hasan said.