Perak to make nation’s aviation industry more vibrant

KUALA LUMPUR: Perak intends to make the nation’s aviation industry more vibrant by offering maintenance, repair and overhaul ( MRO) services for commercial aircraft through the development of its new airport in southern Ipoh.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the new airport was capable of competing successfully with other airports and offered a good alternative to airline companies as the MRO services centred in Subang is already congested at present.

“We would like to offer that as one of the potential businesses in the future,” he said in an interview with Bernama at Angkasapuri recently.

Besides MRO services, Zambry said the new airport was also expected to have other facilities such as customs, immigration and quarantine complex.

He explained that the need for a new airport is practical now as the existing airport in Ipoh, namely Sultan Azlan Shah Airport, had a short runway and very high traffic and it was unable to accommodate the high volume of passengers.

“The new airport will not only provide advantages solely to Perak, but also the nation.

“The locat ion for the construction (of new airport) has been identified. We only need to get the approvals from the Federal government, the Depar tment of Civi l Aviation and also other airline authorities,” he said.

Zambry was optimistic the approvals would be obtained next year and said the project would be implemented with a government- linked company under the publ ic- pr ivate partnership initiative.

He added that Perak was prepared to develop the new airport area as an industrial centre focusing on airline and equipped with the latest technology in the face of Industry 4.0 or the Fourth I ndus t r i a l Revolut ion. — Bernama