What we delivered

  • Malaysia's longest single-span pre-engineered building rafter, longest locally designed single-span truss frame system and longest vertical hangar door

  • We designed the structure for offsite manufacturing and modular construction, cutting material waste and on-site machinery needs

Services used
Structural engineering

Get in touch with our team

Asia Digital Engineering (ADE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Capital A Berhad (formerly AirAsia Group), is a fast-growing leader in the aviation maintenance sector. As Capital A continues to expand its aviation and air mobility services, ADE’s operations in Kuala Lumpur are growing rapidly, with increasing aircraft service and maintenance. To support this momentum and future-proof its capabilities, ADE has developed a new, larger facility – designed not only to increase maintenance capacity, but also to set a new benchmark for aviation infrastructure in Malaysia and the wider region.

We designed a service and maintenance facility with two MRO aviation hangars and an office building spanning 380,000 square feet at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Aeropolis. One of the hangars boasts the longest single-span pre-engineered building rafter, longest locally designed single-span truss frame system and longest vertical hangar door in Malaysia. Our team provided structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering, designing a low-carbon, modular construction approach.

The new hangars, completed in 2024, garnered three prestigious recognitions from the Malaysian Book of Records for exceptional structural engineering. ADE now operates Malaysia’s largest 14-line aircraft maintenance hangar, capable of accommodating 14 narrowbody aircraft or a combination of eight narrowbodies and two widebodies. This milestone marks a significant leap in ADE’s maintenance capabilities, enabling Capital A to scale its operations confidently and safely while continuing to connect people across Asia.

Meticulous and creative engineering realises ambitious hangar design

This project features three recognitions from the Malaysian Book of Records, including longest single span pre-engineered building (PEB) system rafter, longest locally designed single span truss frame system, and longest vertical hangar door (megadoor).

To realise this new design record, we faced the intricate task of using non-standard compact steel sections, which demanded meticulous detail checks of section capacity. Ensuring sufficient headroom clearance for towering aircraft tail wings added another layer of complexity, along with the need to design lightweight, shallow rafters that could maintain load-bearing capacity and deflection resistance – all while adhering to stringent local and international aviation standards.

Determined to overcome these obstacles, we adopted a meticulous approach to design and engineering. Our team developed in-house digital programs to optimise section checks, working together with the contractor throughout the erection processes. We introduced creative connection and bracing techniques to reduces the effective length of the rafters and enhanced structural stability. Through collaboration and ingenuity, we successfully delivered two aviation hangars that meet the rigorous demands of aviation standards and showcases a robust and efficient design.

Modular construction delivers low-carbon benefits

We took a forward-thinking approach to construction, using a modular design with offsite manufacturing to cut the project's carbon footprint and speed up delivery. By reducing material waste and limiting the need for heavy machinery on-site, we created a more efficient and low-carbon construction process.

With a fast-tracked timeline and no room for compromise on quality, precision was key. We tackled this by standardising processes, repeating construction elements for efficiency, and conducting thorough offsite inspections and on-site quality checks. This approach meant we could produce a high-quality designed structure, delivered on time.