Cheaper rivals target Singapore's aviation maintenance sector

Bangkok

SINGAPORE, the dominant hub for aircraft maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) in South-east Asia, the world's fastest-growing aviation market, is under threat from low-cost rivals in nearby Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

As the cheaper challengers look to muscle in on a lucrative market - with annual output of S$8.9 billion, Singapore accounts for a quarter of all Asia's MRO business - Singapore-based MRO firms are having to scramble higher up the value chain.