Turkish aerospace giant opens shop in Malaysia

Turkish Aerospace today opened its first engineering and design office in Southeast Asia at the Cyberview Futurise campus in Selangor.

In a statement, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) said Turkish and Malaysian engineers would work in the new office to carry out joint studies in a variety of areas including unmanned aerial vehicles, jet trainers, helicopter projects and modernisation programmes for the global aviation ecosystem.

International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali, who officiated the opening of the office, said bilateral ties between Malaysia and Turkey have continued to grow with substantial progress on talks between the two on the expansion of free trade agreements.

“Turkey has one of the fastest developing defence and aerospace sectors in the world and has achieved many firsts for the Muslim world,” he said.

Mida CEO Arham Abdul Rahman meanwhile said the office would enhance Malaysia’s aerospace ecosystem, with the right value proposition for the company to expand its presence in Asean and beyond, particularly in the manufacturing and high-end services sector.

“The competitive cost of doing business in Malaysia will undoubtedly be beneficial for both parties to raise the nation’s local expertise as well as certification status,” he said.

As of June, a total of 13 manufacturing projects with Turkish participation had been approved with total investments of RM510.4 million.

Turkish Aerospace CEO and president Temel Kotil said the opening of the new office would strengthen ties between the two countries and host important studies for Malaysia and Turkey to develop joint projects in the fields of aviation, space and defence.

“We aim to expand our experience in these fields within the scope of joint projects with Malaysia and to strengthen the global aviation industry, especially in our regions,” he said.

Merve Kavakci, the Turkish ambassador to Malaysia, meanwhile said Malaysia is Turkey’s largest trading and strategic partner in the region.

“Today’s opening demonstrates that Turkish companies are confident about a strong, stable and prosperous Malaysia.”