An aerospace company with Bumiputera status, Aeronas Aerocraft Sdn Bhd (Aeronas), is aiming to establish Johor as a hub for the production of light aircraft and a regional centre for the development of aerospace talent.
Raja Shazreen Petra, Managing Director and Acting CEO of Aeronas, stated that the company is dedicated to creating a comprehensive local aerospace ecosystem that includes manufacturing, R&D, education, and human capital development.
According to her, Malaysia is more well-known for being a centre for aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) and for producing aerospace parts for global businesses.
“The nation is now starting to show that it can manufacture complete aircraft that can be sold and flown all over the world through Aeronas.
“The achievement of securing foreign orders demonstrates that Malaysia possesses the skills, knowledge, and capacity to become a new participant in the worldwide aircraft manufacturing market.
“As a native of Johor, I want to see this state emerge as the centre for the development of the country’s aerospace industry as well as creating more highly skilled job opportunities for locals,” she told Harian Metro at the Aeronas facility on 26th July 2026.
According to Raja Shazreen, the company was founded in 2023 and currently runs manufacturing facilities in Senai and Iskandar Puteri. They are also building a new facility, which will begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
The current partial production facility can produce up to 30 aircrafts per year.
“When the full manufacturing facility is completed, production capacity is expected to increase to 60 aircrafts per year for each production line,” she stated.
Aeronas has also received government support, with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) approving a Manufacturing Licence under Pioneer Status.
In addition, Invest Johor issued a No Obstacle Letter (NOL) for the company’s operational site and encouraged Aeronas to locate its initiatives in the state.
Aeronas has formed strategic alliances with several higher learning and skills training institutions, including Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), and TVET MARA, in an effort to strengthen talent development and aerospace research.
Raja Shazreen stated that the company also announced an RM51 million endowment to UTeM to support the development of local skilled manpower in the aerospace field, demonstrating its long-term commitment to the development of the country’s human capital.
Aeronas’ current operations are expected to generate over 450 world-class highly skilled job opportunities, with all key technical positions being led by local employees.
She said the effort was in line with the Johor government’s aspiration to create more premium-paying job opportunities.
“In addition to direct jobs, we expect about 3,000 job opportunities to be created in the logistics, support services and related industries.
“When production operations reach full capacity, this industry has the potential to create up to 20,000 job opportunities across the country’s entire aerospace value chain,” she said.
In terms of efforts to increase local content, Raja Shazreen stated that 78% of aircraft manufacturing work is currently carried out in Malaysia, with the figure expected to rise to 100% within the next three to five years.
Previously, Aeronas made history by receiving an order for 50 MYPX5 MARK I and MYPX5 MARK II six-seat light aircraft worth RM357 million through a strategic partnership with Hong Kong’s Wholechoice Consortium.
The order allows Malaysian-made light aircraft to be exported to international markets.
