DANISH MRO FIRM SKYWAYS EXPANDS SUBANG FACILITY
Danish MRO specialist expanding Subang facility to better serve Asia Pacific ATR turboprop aircraft market
THE growth of the ATR turboprop aircraft market in Asia-Pacific has prompted Skyways Technics, a Denmark-based maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) specialist, to expand its Malaysian facility.
Regional Manager (Asia) Lucas Ansinelli said Malaysia offered a great environment for Skyways to expand its component MRO activities in the region.
“Subang has been our preferred choice since we started here in 2014, and it remains a strategic location that will continue to attract more and more MRO companies,” he said.
The Subang facility is the company’s first outside Denmark. The facility caters to the AsiaPacific market, specifically for spare parts, component repairs, and aircraft-on-ground services for ATR and CRJ aircraft.
At the Singapore Airshow recently, Skyways signed a partnership agreement with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) for the expansion of its Subang facility.
The new facility at the MRO Centre in Subang Aerotech Park will be ready next month and serve as its regional headquarters.
“We chose Malaysia because it made a lot of sense cost-wise. It is strategically located and all the facilities around the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport are fantastic for small and medium enterprises.
“(In comparison) Singapore has high cost and no ATR aircraft fly out of Singapore.
“Subang is the base for FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, Malindo Air and MASwings Sdn Bhd, all of whom operate ATR aircraft. Our focus is on regional aircraft and supporting the whole Asia-Pacific region,” said Ansinelli.
Asia-Pacific is ATR’s largest market globally, accounting for over one-third of the global fleet of about 1,200 aircraft.
The company anticipates demand for some 750 turboprops within the next two decades in the region, excluding China.
Indonesia has the largest number of ATR aircraft in operation with 99. Other Asia-Pacific countries in the top 10 globally are Malaysia with 47 aircraft (fifth globally), India with 46 aircraft (sixth) and Myanmar with 34 (10th).
In addition, about half of ATR’s order backlog is from operators in Asia Pacific.
Subang already boasts a mature aerospace community that is well-known for MRO activities and is home to several worldrenowned players.
According to Frost & Sullivan, Malaysia’s MRO sector is expected to grow by 8.45 per cent a year over the next 20 years.
“We are investing a significant amount on the new Subang facility. We look forward to growing our MRO activities and providing unparalleled support to all our customers,” said Ansinelli.
Skyway supplies services and spare parts to virtually all of Asia -Pacific’s ATR operators, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, Myanmar, Japan, the Philippines and Maldives.
It has more than 30 years of experience in ATR aircraft maintenance.
“We have been approved as an ATR partner for the MRO network. Being one of only four companies that have received the approval gives us a lot of credibility in the market as well,” said Ansinelli.