Airbus, BHIC to Explore Malaysia’s Military Aircraft MRO

KUALA LUMPUR: Global aerospace giant, Airbus and Malaysia’s Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to explore the joint development of military aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities in Malaysia. The signing of the document was held in a in a virtual ceremony.

Under this MoU, the two partners will collaboratively look into how to leverage their respective expertise to advance local MRO capabilities for military fixed wing aircraft platforms, in support of the operators’ fleet, said Airbus in a statement.

Head of Asia Pacific at Airbus Defence and Space, Johan Pelissier said: “Airbus has enjoyed a very successful partnership with BHIC on military helicopter MRO and pilot training. We are excited to now strengthen this strong alliance as we study the possibility of expanding our local industrial presence to cover both rotary wing and military fixed wing MRO solutions, bringing better convenience to our customers.

“We are also looking forward to contributing to the country’s Capability Development 2055 transformation plan as it introduces a new military fixed wing platform for maritime patrol missions in the coming years.”

“Malaysia is Airbus’ largest supplier base in Southeast Asia and is a key market for us. Today’s MOU signature is a clear demonstration of Airbus’ full commitment to contribute to the country’s development of a self-sustaining aerospace value chain,” added Pelissier.

Chief Executive Officer of BHIC, Sharifuddin Md Zaini Al-Manaf said: “We have identified the aerospace sector as one of the key growth segments to steer the company forward. BHIC is casting our net wider in this sector to enlarge our market base by capitalising on our existing facilities and MRO expertise.”

Airbus and BHIC have been long time partners supporting the growing Malaysian aerospace industry. Their helicopter MRO joint venture BHIC Aerospace Services provides maintenance services for military helicopter operators, while their Subang-based Airbus Helicopters Malaysia Simulation Centre joint venture houses the region’s only training simulators for the H225 and H225M helicopters, as well as a second simulator for the AS365 Dauphin training.

Airbus has been a strategic partner to Malaysia for over 40 years, playing a major role in local aerospace ecosystem development through direct procurement and the country’s Industrial Collaboration Programmes. Well positioned with its regional engineering and maintenance hub in Malaysia handling activities for commercial aircraft and helicopters, this co-operation adds a potential new dimension to its in-country industrial footprint. –air/kf/aaa  (Photo: Airbus)