Malaysia has unveiled ambitious plans to transform part of Subang Airport in Kuala Lumpur, its capital, into a regional corporate aviation hub to rival the likes of Singapore and Hong Kong.
Private operator Subang SkyPark will undertake the redevelopment under a 59-year lease from Malaysian Airport Holding, operator of the country's major terminals. The first phase entails an upgrade of the existing infrastructure and the construction of a fixed-base operation (FBO) by March 2008.
There are also plans for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities for business jets, dedicated hangars and corporate aviation-related industries in the surrounding region. The site will also accommodate a boutique hotel and other leisure facilities within five years. When the 300 million ringgit ($90 million) redevelopment is completed in five years, it could compete with neighbouring Singapore's Seletar Airport to become South-East Asia's business aviation hub.
"We believe that this could be the largest and finest in Asia given the current size, capability and facilities," says the company's executive director Ravindran Menon. He adds that the site has further room for growth, an advantage given the space constraints faced by Singapore and Hong Kong.
Switzerland-headquartered charter operator VistaJet will become the first company to base aircraft at SkyPark Subang, with a Bombardier Challenger 604 and a Challenger 605 likely to be available for customers by early 2008. The company has a fleet of 31 aircraft and recently ordered three Airbus Corporate Jetliners (ACJs).
"Subscribers in Malaysia can charter these aircraft out of SkyPark Subang without having to incur extra fuel costs and service charges from repositioning aircrafts from distant countries and returning them back to their base," says VistaJet chairman Thomas Flohr.
Source: Flight International
