JOHOR BARU, Nov 14 — Johor may have a high chance of becoming the next preferred location as a maintenance facility for European aerospace corporation Airbus aircraft, said Johor International Trade, Investment and Utilities Committee chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse.
He said the proposal was seen to be a positive response during a recent working visit to France from November 3 to November 10 to promote Johor as the ideal investment destination for French investors.
“Johor gained attention by becoming one of the preferred locations for major suppliers of the Airbus Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and maintenance,” he said yesterday.
Puah revealed that in the world, there were only three major suppliers of Airbus’ GSE and maintenance, and one of them had showed interest in expanding their business in Johor.
“Johor is the preferred location for them to develop an infrastructure to cater to the needs and markets in Asia Pacific region,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Puah, who is also the Bukit Batu assemblyman, said the idea of expanding the aerospace industry in Johor has always been a priority of the state government, as well as acquiring quality investment resources.
“Johor has always been a choice for investment due to its proximity to Singapore, having world-class airports and infrastructure with a pro-business environment.
“Along with the national aerospace blueprint, Johor is well equipped and can provide the best ecological system for the aerospace industry, especially in the maintenance and repairing sectors,” he said.
During the working trip, the delegation, led by Puah, also attended several seminars and dialogues which successfully attracted more than 100 participants in total.
In 2017, the trade value between France and Malaysia amounted €5.1 billion (RM24.07 billion).
