On Feb. 3, Singapore's SIA Engineering opened the first Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hangar in the world to offer commercial maintenance services for the Airbus A380 aircraft.

At the opening of the A380 hangar, Singapore's Minister in Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Transport, Lim Hwee Hua said that as a gateway to Asia, Singapore is well-positioned to ride the wave of aviation expansion.

Singapore is among Asia's largest and most comprehensive MRO hubs, and host to over 100 companies providing comprehensive capabilities, allowing it to offer a unique "one-stop" integrated solution for customers, she said.

She said that Singapore's leadership position in MRO, accounting for one-quarter of the Asia Pacific market, has been founded on Singapore's comprehensive infrastructure, strong connectivity and skilled workforce.

To ensure that it retains this position, Singapore will also continue to adapt and support pro-business policies to facilitate further growth of MRO companies in Singapore, adding that the opening of the A380 MRO will strengthen Singapore's position as a "one-stop shop" for sophisticated aerospace MRO services.