Malaysia plans to give the country's former main airport Subang a new lease of life by turning it into a regional aerospace hub for aircraft maintenance, parts manufacturing and flight training, reports said today.

Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy was quoted by The Star newspaper as saying that the cabinet had approved a plan to turn Subang airport on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur into an aerospace park.

Among core activities planned are maintenance and overhaul for civil and military aircraft and a centre for chartered flights and corporate jets, Chan said.

A regional sales hub for helicopter manufacturers and facilities for flight training and manufacturing of aircraft parts and avionics were also planned, he said.

The ministry would study the cost of the project and source for funding before finalising the details, he added.

The planned makeover for Subang follows the government's decision last week to pick the Kuala Lumpur International Airport over Subang as the location for a new RM110 million low-cost carrier terminal .