Capital A aircraft maintenance unit expands on $100m investment

Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia's parent company, Capital A, is expanding its maintenance business with the help of a $100m investment, as travel demand continues to rebound following the coronavirus pandemic. Capital A's aircraft maintenance subsidiary, Asia Digital Engineering, on Wednesday announced the funding from OCP Asia, a Singapore-based investment company. ADE will use the money partly for a maintenance facility being built at Kuala Lumpur International Airport that can house 14 aircraft. Construction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024. The facility will triple the company's maintenance capacity, now limited to sites in Malaysia that can handle a total of six aircraft. ADE specializes in the Airbus A320 and A330, but looks to expand its range beyond those aircraft. Mahesh Kumar, CE of ADE, cited the planned "state-of-the-art" maintenance hangar, "in addition to existing facilities at our core AirAsia operating hubs," as making the company one of the largest aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul service providers in the region. ADE, which Capital A spun off from AirAsia's maintenance division in 2020, is also expanding operations to airlines outside the group. It has received maintenance orders from low-cost carriers Cebu Pacific Air of the Philippines and Singapore's Scoot.<br/>