SUBANG JAYA: Some 8,000 direct job opportunities are expected to be created once the Subang Airport Regeneration Plan (SARP) is completed, says KLIA Aeropolis Sdn Bhd head Randhill Singh.

Randhill said the project is scheduled to be completed in phases by 2030.

“We forecast an additional 8,000 direct jobs across all three segments by the end of the decade.

“This will cover the high, mid and lower value jobs,” he told reporters after a media briefing on the SARP here on Wednesday (March 20).

The development of SARP's aviation business and Aerospace segments falls under the purview of KLIA Aeropolis.

He said the jobs created would cater to all profiles of the workforce and population, adding that many would benefit from the opportunities created.

“In fact, we see that most of the jobs (here) are held by locals, including high-value jobs like engineers.

“In many of our aerospace operators, we can see that over 90% of jobs are held by highly trained local staff," he said.

He said SARP had three segments, namely - city airport, business aviation and aerospace ecosystem.

“The city airport expansion has already commenced through an interim expansion plan. This will double the passenger terminal capacity from 1.5 million passengers per annum to three million passengers per annum and will be completed by June," he said.

Moving forward, Randhill said there would be further phase developments to accommodate five million and eight million passengers by the end of 2030.

On business aviation and aerospace sectors, Randhill said both had commenced developments with clear, physical and visual progress.

He added that the priority for business aviation was to ensure enough hangar blocks.

“We are looking at up to eight hangar blocks to be developed in the next five years,” he said.

On the recently inked operating agreements between Malaysia Airports and the federal government, Randhill said they provided a clear structure for MAHB to invest in, with a clear financial recovery.

“It bodes well on us to progress on airport development projects,” he said.

In February last year, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the Subang airport would undergo a major transformation, becoming a premium city airport and aviation hub as part of the SARP.

The SARP had been proposed by MAHB and presented to Cabinet on Feb 2, where it was agreed in-principle.