Sources revealed that Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has initiated a request for proposals (RFP) from local and global consultancies in a bid to rejuvenate the Subang Airport, reported The Star.
The consultancy that submits the winning proposal will be appointed as the master planner for the 1,063-acre site. It will also be responsible for creating the concept and design.
So far, 15 local and multinational consultancies have obtained RFP documents, and they are expected to send their proposals or bids by end-December, said the insiders.
Overall, the regeneration of Subang Airport is estimated to cost from RM1.5 billion to RM2.5 billion and could take 10 years to complete, depending on the approved concept and design.
Sources disclosed that the project will consists of three phases. These include remodelling a part of Subang Airport as a business aviation hub, establishing a city airport by expanding and enhancing existing terminal and air site facilities, as well as setting up a complete aerospace ecosystem to bolster the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector and aircraft manufacturing.
“The idea is to give Subang Airport a total makeover, maximise the usage of land in the area with its aerospace ecosystem in place and push further to tap the opportunities that are now going to its competitors in the region,” said the sources.
The rejuvenation project’s aim is to improve Subang Airport’s competitiveness, as it has been losing out to Seletar Airport in Singapore in the fields of MRO and business aviation.
“It is not just the upgrade and refurbishment that are needed, but Malaysia needs to make it simpler for private jet owners to fly into Subang and attract them since matured hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore are congested and pricey,” they noted.
Therefore, they said it’s important for MAHB to appoint the “right consultant as the master planner that has the right expertise in building hangers and industrial development.”
The sources reckon that the airport operator could take a few months to decide on the master planner, while the masterplan could be completed in six to nine months. In addition, MAHB is expected to team up with property developers to undertake the different phases of the project.
Out of 1,063-acre land, the only green field site is a 60-acres plot close to Subang Skypark, which MAHB is transforming into an aerospace park valued at around RM400 million.
As for Subang Airport’s new terminal, once it is completed, its capacity will increase from three million passengers currently to five million. Sources said the entire project is expected to generate about 5,000 employment opportunities and attract more than RM1 billion in investments by 2025.
Notably, the regeneration of Subang Airport was first proposed in 1997, but it never materialised as it failed to draw investors.
Then in November 2018, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that the country may need to build more aerospace hubs in a bid to boost the industry, as it has been named as one of the priority segments in the second half of the 11th Malaysia Plan from 2016 to 2020.
Image source: The Star
This article was edited by the editorial team of PropertyGuru. To contact them about this or other stories email editorialteam@propertyguru.com.my
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