Around 500 new jobs to be created as ST Engineering opens new aircraft maintenance facility

SINGAPORE: ST Engineering officially opened its fourth aircraft maintenance facility in Singapore on Friday (Oct 9), a site that will use drones and autonomous mobile robots and employ over 500 people when fully operational.Most of the jobs will be newly created, including licensed aircraft engineers, planning and production control specialists, mechanics, and warehouse and logistics personnel.At the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said that the investment in this new facility comes at an opportune time, with Asia Pacific expected to lead global air traffic growth and Changi Airport developing Terminal 5."Importantly, this facility will create opportunities across our local aerospace ecosystem," he said.Mr Gan, who is also trade and industry minister, said ST Engineering has long played an important role in strengthening the capabilities of local enterprises and workforce within the sector.“As the company grows, I would encourage the company to expand these efforts so that more locals can develop their skills and build rewarding careers in the aerospace sector,” said Mr Gan.The S$170 million (US$133 million) Changi Creek facility began operations in May and will ramp up over the coming year. It will be ST Engineering’s second-largest aerospace facility in Singapore, with four widebody aircraft bays at the 84,000 sq m site.The facility adds 40 per cent capacity to the company’s widebody airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) network in Singapore, potentially allowing 100 more widebody aircraft to be serviced each year.ST Engineering said this gives customers greater flexibility and assured access to maintenance slots as airline fleets expand and aircraft stay in service longer.President of commercial aerospace Kevin Chow said the facility reflects the company's confidence in Singapore as an air hub.“We're investing in the future and we are serving the growth of the market through Singapore. This is not just another hangar,” he said, pointing to the technology-enabled operations.Globally, airframe MRO demand is growing 1 to 2 per cent a year, but ST Engineering is seeing “multiples of that”, he said.