Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd’s (Sabah Air) new chairman Kenny Chua said the state government-linked company (GLC) aims to soar higher by setting up East Malaysia’s first such facility for the maintenance of commercial aircraft.
Chua said the move is in line with the call by the Sabah government to develop high value and high-tech industry in the state.
The MRO, to be based in the state capital, will initially be catering to single-aisle commercial aircrafts and for heavy maintenance. Sabah hopes this will attract major aerospace industry players to the state.
“Our state is blessed in the sense that we’re strategically located in the region. Commercial airlines would usually have to go to places like Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong for maintenance, repair and overhaul services for their fleet.
“But with our MRO facility, they can get their aircraft serviced here instead,” he said in a statement here today.
Chua, a former assistant finance minister under the previous Warisan-led government, said this after a courtesy call to Chief Minister Hajiji Noor yesterday.
He briefed Hajiji on the company’s plans with focus on the new business transformation strategy which will open up more job opportunities for Sabahans, especially in the aviation industry.
Sabah Air has been in the aviation industry since 1975 and is one of the pioneer aviation companies in the country.
Among the services it provides are flying doctor service, passenger transfer, aerial city tour, aerial mapping, aerial filming, border survey, VIP jet passenger transfer, helicopter maintenance services and ground handling services.
Chua said although the aviation industry is currently affected by Covid-19, Sabah Air is all geared up to take Sabah to the skies again through this MRO project once the health crisis improves.
“We’re also looking at the MRO project with an eye on the economic development in our Borneo neighbour, Kalimantan.”
He said to embark on the project, the company will be negotiating with investors and relevant parties that have the expertise in setting up an MRO facility.
“Considering the importance of the MRO for Sabah, the state government is fully supportive of our commitment in pursuing it.”
According to the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Report 2019, the country’s aerospace industry recorded an annual revenue of RM16.2 billion in that year and produced 27,500 highly-skilled workers.
On another note, Chua said Sabah Air is also planning to revive the flying doctors service to provide health services to rural communities in the state.
“Many residents in rural areas are still facing difficulties in seeking treatment at clinics or hospitals due to the distance.
“And now, as we continue fighting against the pandemic, the need to revive this service for our rural communities has become a matter of urgency,” he said.
The flying doctor’s service for isolated villages in the interior of Sabah was terminated by the health department in 2016 after 41 years.
Chua was sacked from PKR last year after being part of a group of assemblymen who defected from the Warisan-Plus government in a bid to topple the then state government.
He later joined Perikatan Nasional (PN) component party STAR and defended the Inanam state seat which he won under a PKR ticket in the 2018 election but lost last year in a 10-cornered fight to PKR candidate Peto Galim.