Asia Digital Engineering (ADE) is considering plans to build another hangar facility in addition to its newly-opened 14-line MRO facility in Kuala Lumpur, amid a bullish forecast on maintenance demand.
The MRO unit of Malaysia’s Capital A says it is “conducting soil testing” on an adjacent, 5-acre site to its facility at Kuala Lumpur International airport (KLIA). It is also in talks with operator Malaysia Airports Holdings to acquire 20 acres of land for the development of a “premier MRO centre”.
ADE chief executive Mahesh Kumar says the company hopes to finalise details by the end of the year, with construction expected to take around 18 months.
The addition of four extra lines will take the fledgling MRO provider’s hangar capacity to 20. The majority of these, 18, are located in Kuala Lumpur, while the remaining two ae in Senai airport in south Malaysia.
Capital A chief executive Tony Fernandes, who was speaking at a press briefing in Kuala Lumpur, says ADE has the potential to double its capacity in the future, given the “tremendous” MRO demand.
The comments come as ADE opened its 14-line MRO facility on 26 September, marking a significant capacity boost, and capping off a two-year construction project.
Split into two large hangars, the over-380,000 sq ft facility is the country’s largest MRO space. It can handle up to 14 narrowbodies on heavy maintenance, with workshops covering areas like composites, 3D printing, as well as cabin interior repair works.
Work on the new facility, which is situated in KLIA’s Aeropolis project, began in 2022. ADE mainly handles MRO from sister airline group AirAsia, though Mahesh confirms plans to grow its share of third-party MRO business. This currently comprises only about 10% of its total work.
ADE, which was formed in 2020, currently has maintenance capabilities on the Airbus A320 and A330 family aircraft, as well as Boeing 737 narrowbodies.
Capital A’s Fernandes says: “The new hangar is not just a facility; it represents our vision for the future of MRO in Asia with our ambitions to disrupt and become the leading provider in Southeast Asia and beyond.”
In prepared comments, he adds: “In just four years since ADE’s inception, we have built the competencies and facilities necessary to become a leader in this segment.”
