Malaysia’s aerospace workforce nears 35,000 – surpasses MIAB 2030 target

SUBANG: Malaysia has surpassed its 2030 target for high-skilled aerospace jobs, with the industry now employing nearly 35,000 workers, according to Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin.

Sim said the figure already exceeds the goal of creating 30,000 high-skilled aerospace jobs under the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Blueprint 2030 (MIAB 2030).

“In terms of workforce development, we are closer to 35,000, so we’ve exceeded the MIAB 2030 target,” he told reporters after opening SIA Engineering Co Ltd’s (SIAEC) Base Maintenance Malaysia Hangar at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang today.

The aerospace industry generated RM32.5 billion in revenue in 2025, including contributions from maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, aerospace manufacturing, aircraft parts and component activities, and remains on track to achieve RM55 billion by 2030, Sim said.

The growth outlook is supported by strong aviation expansion across the Asia-Pacific region, which is currently the fastest-growing aerospace market globally amid rising passenger traffic, fleet expansion and increasing demand for aircraft maintenance services.

“Malaysia is well-positioned to benefit from the regional upcycle due to its established aerospace ecosystem, skilled engineering workforce and growing presence of global aerospace players operating manufacturing and MRO facilities in the country,” Sim said.

Malaysia currently hosts more than 270 aerospace engineering companies employing about 34,700 workers, including around 12,000 employees in the MRO segment alone.

Sim said the expansion of SIAEC’s operations in Malaysia as a major milestone for the country’s aerospace ambitions and a strong endorsement of Malaysia’s engineering capabilities.

SIAEC, the engineering arm of Singapore Airlines, operates only three base maintenance facilities globally, located in Singapore, the Philippines and now Malaysia, he noted.

“This is a very important milestone for our MRO sector, which we aim to expand as part of our broader aerospace industry growth plans. The fact that SIAEC chose Malaysia for its base maintenance operations reflects confidence in our workforce capabilities, engineering quality and aerospace ecosystem.”

Sim said SIAEC plans to begin operations in Malaysia with 350 workers and aims to double the workforce to 700 by next year as regional demand for aircraft maintenance services continues to rise. “Just now when we discussed with SIAEC, they highly commend our skilled workforce. They will start with 350, they will double up to 700 by next year.”

Extensive workforce training is already taking place in both Singapore and Malaysia, with Malaysian engineers undergoing training in Singapore for up to a year while Singaporean personnel are also working locally with Malaysian teams. Sim said.

“They are sent to Singapore for about a year for training. And Singaporeans are also coming to Malaysia to train our workforce and work together as a team,” he added.

Sim said the collaboration reflects growing international confidence in Malaysia’s technical expertise, precision engineering capabilities and aerospace ecosystem.

“The fact that they choose Malaysia for maintenance, that shows the confidence of SIA to Malaysia’s skills and capabilities of our workforce and our ecosystem. Aircraft maintenance work requires highly specialised engineering expertise and strict safety compliance due to the critical nature of aviation operations,” the deputy minister said.

Malaysia’s aerospace ecosystem has continued expanding through the presence of major international aerospace companies such as Airbus, Boeing, Safran and Turkish Aerospace Industries, which have established manufacturing and engineering operations in the country, Sim noted.

“Malaysia also plays a growing role in the global aerospace supply chain through the production of aircraft components and critical aerospace parts, including Airbus wing components manufactured by CTRM,” he added.

Despite the sector’s rapid expansion, Sim acknowledged that Malaysia would still need additional investment, incentives and infrastructure development to strengthen its competitiveness and expand MRO capacity.

“Clearly there’s more development that needs to be done, more incentive or funding that needs to be available to grow this particular sector because at the end of the day, 2030, the aim is to be the MRO centre number one in Southeast Asia,” he said.

BMM is part of SIAEC’s regional base maintenance network, providing additional capacity to supplement hangars in Singapore and the Philippines, to support both widebody and narrowbody MRO of current and next-generation aircraft across Asia-Pacific and beyond. BMM’s two-hangar facility can accommodate up to six concurrent aircraft checks.

SIAEC said the opening of BMM reflects confidence in Malaysia as an important aerospace location as the country offers a strong aviation heritage, strategic location, established infrastructure, and a growing pool of skilled aerospace talent. Subang, in particular, continues to play a key role in Malaysia’s aviation and aerospace ecosystem.

SIAEC CEO Chin Yau Seng said BMM is a strategic investment for SIAEC to drive sustainable long-term growth.

“Together with SIAEC’s three other joint venture companies in Malaysia, comprising Asia Pacific Aircraft Component Services, Eaton Aero Services and Pos Aviation Engineering Services, BMM enhances our ability to support customers and provides an important platform for us to grow our presence in Malaysia.

“We see strong potential in Malaysia’s aerospace sector, particularly in talent development, technical capability and long-term industry growth,” he said.

BMM has obtained regulatory approvals for the first of its two hangars and performed its first A350 aircraft check in November 2025.