As Malaysia gears towards becoming an aerospace hub in the region, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) is taking relentless efforts to promote the country's industry players expand their markets overseas, a senior official said.

Md Silmi Abdul Rahman, Matrade Director (Transport, Logistics, Machinery, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)/Europe, Trade and Services Promotion Division) said the aerospace industry is a new industry under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"As such, we are looking towards a higher value industry to move forward. Aerospace is one of the 13 sub-sectors of the industry," he told Bernama when met at the Singapore Airshow being held at the Changi Exhibition Centre.

He said Matrade has been tasked to undertake the promotion drive of this industry to look for new overseas markets for Malaysian players.

"All this while most of the aerospace industry players are very localised and very much dependent on the Malaysian market, most of them are government market," he said.

To date, the Malaysian aerospace industry players have built up their capabilities and "we hope to further boost and expand their market overseas and at least become a regional player," he said.

"To be in Singapore Airshow, is one of the initiatives to reposition them because the airshow here is one of the biggest in the region where global players meet.

"So, that's why we are here. We have brought 15 Malaysian companies to exhibit their products. However, our bigger objective is to make Malaysia an aerospace hub," he stressed.

Earlier, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who is here for the fourth edition of the airshow, visited the Malaysian Pavilion hosted by Matrade.

Besides the Malaysian Pavilion, Hishammuddin also visited the booths of Bell Helicopter, Boeing and a Textron company.

Also present was Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore Datuk Husni Zai Yaacob.