By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, June 18 - The maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for business jets operated by Dassault Aviation is expected to be completed by the end of this year, says Dato' Teng Chang Khim.
Built on a 144,000 square-foot site at the Skypark Regional Aviation Center (RAC), Subang, the state executive councillor for investment said the construction of the maintenance centre by the French aerospace giant is progressing well, with operations expected in the first quarter of next year.
“This is an exciting development for the aerospace industry in Selangor and Malaysia as Dassault is the second-largest aircraft manufacturer in the world.
“The MRO centre will further strengthen Selangor's position as a regional technology hub. Various types of Dassault aircraft models may visit this airport for maintenance,” he said.
Previously, Teng said the new facility, worth RM100 million, is expected to accommodate nine units of Falcon 8X and seven units of Falcon 10X aircraft once completed.
The Falcon 8X is the most recent business jet developed by the French manufacturer and was showcased to the public at the Selangor Aviation Show (SAS) in September of last year.
Meanwhile, Teng also said that he, together with Invest Selangor Berhad, had the opportunity to visit the Dassault Aviation plant in Bordeaux-Aéronautique, Bordeaux, France, yesterday, to learn more about company's operations and aircraft installation and management.
“We had the opportunity to observe operations management at the Dassault Aviation facility, where private aircraft or business jets, such as Falcon 8X and Falcon 2000, are built.
“This is significant as Dassault Aviation is now developing an MRO facility in the Asia Pacific region in Subang,” he added.
Dassault Aviation is a French aerospace company with a track record of manufacturing both military aircraft and business jets.
