A business jet’s journey does not end when it lands. Before it can take off again, there may be a team of engineers and technicians waiting to inspect, maintain and prepare it for its next flight.
At ExecuJet MRO Services Malaysia’s hangar in Subang, that work brings aircraft from across Asia, including Singapore, Japan, China, Vietnam and Thailand.
Behind every aircraft is a team responsible for keeping it airworthy.
“For us, anything that's got to do with business jets, private jet maintenance, that's our bread and butter,” said Ivan Lim, regional vice-president for Asia at ExecuJet MRO Services Malaysia.
PHOTO CREDIT: ExecuJet MRO Services
MRO stands for maintenance, repair and overhaul. The work ranges from routine line maintenance checks carried out after an aircraft lands and before it takes off to major maintenance visits, including 10-year or 20-year checks.
It also includes avionics work, aircraft modifications, interior refurbishment and satellite communications installations. When necessary, engineers may also remove and replace an engine.
The work goes well beyond fixing an aircraft when something goes wrong. Much of it is about ensuring the aircraft remains safe and ready to fly.
From a small hangar to a regional operation
ExecuJet’s Subang story started in 2009 when the company had fewer than 10 employees and about 10,000 square feet of space.
The company then moved into a 64,000-square-foot hangar in 2016 before opening its current facility in 2024.[LF1]
The current facility covers 149,500 square feet and can accommodate up to 15 aircraft at a time, with more than 100 employees.
The growth is also reflected in where its customers come from.
Its clients include private aircraft owners, charter operators and government customers, including those using aircraft for VIP transportation and other specialised purposes.
But increasingly, the business is regional.
Aircraft are flown into Subang specifically for maintenance, making Malaysia part of the wider business aviation MRO network in Asia.
For ExecuJet, that is also part of a bigger ambition for Malaysia.
“We attract clients from all over Asia to come here in Subang Airport for maintenance,” Lim said.
And while the size of the facility is easy to see, one of the industry’s biggest challenges is much less visible.
It is finding the people to work in it.
The people problem
Like much of aviation, MRO needs highly trained people. The difference is that becoming qualified takes time.
Aircraft maintenance engineers go through years of training, examinations and practical experience before they can obtain the necessary licences. They also need additional training for specific aircraft types before they can certify maintenance work.
For business aviation, some of that specialist training is done overseas, including in France, the United States and the Middle East.
It is a long journey, but there is a reason for it.
“Everything that we do revolves around safety,” Lim said.
PHOTO CREDIT: ExecuJet MRO Services
The person working behind the aircraft may not be as visible as the pilot sitting in the cockpit, but they are part of the chain that determines whether the aircraft is ready to fly.
And that is where the industry faces a problem.
There simply are not enough skilled technicians and engineers coming through.
Building the next generation
ExecuJet is trying to tackle the problem before students even enter the industry.
The company has partnered with local training institutions on an apprenticeship programme designed around its own requirements.
Its first batch had six students.
All six completed the programme successfully and are now working with the company as junior technicians.
The company also provides scholarships for students interested in engineering and aviation, with opportunities for them to potentially join the company after completing their studies.
For Lim, part of the challenge is not necessarily that young people aren’t interested in aviation.
It is that they may not know what is available beyond the careers they usually hear about.
“When you talk about aviation, they think about pilots and cabin crew,” he said.
That is why the company also reaches out to universities and student groups, including bringing students into its facility.
The idea is simple: show them what happens behind the scenes.
And there is more to an MRO career than standing beside an aircraft with a toolbox.
Engineers and technicians may be the most visible people on the hangar floor, but they are supported by maintenance planners, supply-chain teams and technical specialists.
An aircraft maintenance operation needs all of them.
“Just because you do a mechanical engineering programme doesn’t mean that you can’t venture into aviation,” Lim said.
As more business jets from across Asia make their way to Subang for maintenance, Malaysia’s MRO opportunity is becoming increasingly regional.
But having the hangars and equipment is only one part of building that industry.
The other is having enough skilled people to keep those aircraft moving.
For the aircraft arriving at Subang, the work may end when they leave the hangar.
For the people behind them, it is an industry that still needs to keep building.
(This is the original article written by Attiqah Mohd following an exclusive interview with Ivan Lim, regional vice-president for Asia at ExecuJet MRO Services Malaysia. This work is the intellectual property of the author and must not be copied, reproduced, or republished without prior permission and proper attribution.)
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