SEPANG – Malaysia Airports sets out to bring innovation and technology leadership to Subang Aerotech Park with its latest collaboration with Teknopark Istanbul (TI), a world-class centre for technology excellence in Turkey. This is another step in fulfilling Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (LTSAAS)’s aspiration to be a preferred aerospace and business aviation hub in Asia Pacific. The collaboration will focus on aerospace and new generation technology sectors such as robotics, data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. We will be working with TI to develop a cooperative framework for industrial and technology park development through exchange of knowledge on best practice models. Additionally, there will also be reciprocal efforts to facilitate convergence of technologies and advance the aerospace and aviation ecosystem. The immediate plan is to organise a virtual forum to introduce LTSAAS and its ecosystem to TI’s community of over 340 firms, presenting an opportunity for Turkish aerospace and high-tech companies to set up international hubs at LTSAAS.
Malaysia Airports’ Head of KLIA Aeropolis, Randhill Singh said, “Malaysia is fast progressing towards becoming a technologically-advanced economy. Our LTSAAS Regeneration Plan will spearhead transformation by building future-proof infrastructure, facilitating innovation and creating an ecosystem to bring forth knowledge workers and higher living standards. TI has a proven track record in this based on their success in Turkey. Our alliance with TI will help the local aerospace industry become a holistic and integrated nexus for economic growth, technological development and global competitiveness.”
In the mid to long-term horizon, Malaysia Airports and TI will explore opportunities, for example, soft landing programmes to facilitate the entry points of interested companies into LTSAAS as a testbed location, and vice versa.
TI has contributed significantly to the development of Turkey’s innovation ecosystem and the creation of a dynamic innovation environment for local and international entrepreneurs.
According to Bilal Topcu, the General Manager of TI, “This partnership with Malaysia Airports will serve as a bridge for technology and investment between both countries. TI focuses on industries and innovations that are vital to our country’s development and we have been successful in bringing together companies, universities, and governmental organisations into cooperative framework. We look forward to this close cooperation which presents new opportunities for cross border partnerships.”
TI is located in the northeast of Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (ISG), managed by Malaysia Airports. This collaboration also allows Malaysia Airports to explore potential LTSAAS-TI linkage and maximise the synergies that is mutually beneficial. This private sector collaboration by both parties also supports the nation’s commitment under the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8). The D-8 is an organisation for economic cooperation among 8 developing nations with its secretariat, based in Istanbul, Turkey.