LETTERS: It does not serve any purpose for any party to point fingers as to who or which organisation is responsible for the resignation of 63 skilled line aircraft maintenance engineers (LAMEs) from Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) since January.
It also does not make sense hurling criticism at the government for approving Singapore Airlines Engineering Company (SIAEC) to set up shop at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SAASA).
The leasing of two hangars from Khazanah Nasional Berhad through its subsidiary Vintage Properties Sdn Bhd for 15 years with provision for another 15 to offer maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services to third party airlines.
To recap with SAASA ceasing operations as Kuala Lumpur's International Airport on June 28 1998, the plan was to develop and market the facility as an international aerospace and MRO hub.
With Malaysia Airlines Aerospace Engineering (MAAE) scaling down its capacity and capability for MRO third party offerings with the Covid-19 lockdown, two hangars at SAASA were left idle till SIAEC took the opportunity to expand the company's offering.
MRO companies and airlines around the world are always looking for skilled labour to meet expansion requirements. No one could have prevented the 63 engineers from leaving MAAE.
Every category of workers, are always looking out for higher paying jobs.
With the surge in global airline fleets due to a demand for travel. Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) should have considered expanding its engineering division with the two hangars available.
This would have required substantial financial investment for tooling and equipment
Maybe the time was not right. Prior to the pandemic, MAAE was a global renown service provider with six hangars at its peak — four at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SAASA) in Subang and two at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
This was a week before the pandemic started in February 2020.
With a customer base of over 100 airlines then, it had heavy maintenance capability for Airbus A380, B747, B777, Airbus A330, Airbus A320 and B737NG aircraft, component repair and overhaul, stripping and painting and training technical staff.
MAAE was also certified by the Boeing Company as an authorised winglets contractor for B737NG aircraft. The pandemic brought travel and the civil aviation industry to a halt, leaving many MRO service providers across the globe idle.
In the midst of the pandemic MAAE scaled down its operations to only two hangars at KLIA.
MAB has phased out the A380, B747 and B777 fleets. The airline currently operates seven Airbus A350-900s, 14 Airbus A330-300s, five Airbus A330-200s, 41 737-NGs and four 737-Max 8s.
The global MRO market was worth US$48.35 billion in 2022. It is projected to grow to US$58.54 billion by 2029, seeing a compounded annual growth rate of 3.2 per cent.
Growth rate can be attributed to fleet expansion. Growing demand for aircraft drives the MRO services market. The outlook for the MRO market looks bright.
According to Oliver Wyman's Global fleet and MRO market forecast for 2023 to 2033, the number of aircraft will increase by a whopping 33 per cent to 36,000.
Oliver Wyman is an American management and consulting firm with presence around the world.
Having made an impact in the global MRO market prior to the pandemic, MAB should give it a thought to make its presence felt again.
I believe, with time and training of engineers for the various aircraft that MAB operates, the carrier will pull through the storm.
WILLIAM DENNIS
Subang Jaya, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times