KUALA SELANGOR, July 30 — Selangor is positioning itself as one of the country's leaders in the drone industry through the development of Droneport-1000, set to become Malaysia's largest drone testing and evaluation facility.
State executive councillor for Islamic affairs and innovation culture Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said the facility, located at Universiti Selangor (UNISEL) in Bestari Jaya, covers an area of 24 square kilometres, with airspace extending up to 1,000 metres in altitude.
"This will become the largest testing area in Malaysia, with the largest airspace approved for testing by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). We are also expected to receive CAAM certification before the end of this year.
"Large-capacity drones require extensive airspace to operate. Several tests have already been conducted here, with large drones successfully flying distances of up to 40km. This is an excellent location," he said.
Earlier, Fahmi officiated the Droneport-1000 pre-launch ceremony at UNISEL, attended by Selangor Aviation and Technology Innovations Sdn Bhd (SELATI) chief executive officer Zannifa Azura Ahmad and UNISEL president cum vice-chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Hassan Basri.
Meanwhile, Zannifa said that Droneport-1000 will enable government agencies, academics and industry players to jointly develop drone technology within an appropriate regulatory framework to ensure its safe implementation.
Such collaboration would help shape policies while accelerating the responsible and effective development of drone innovation.
"The drone industry is an ecosystem, it is not merely about recreational activities. That is why infrastructure is so important.
"This facility will become a meeting point for technology transfer and serve as a platform to drive the industry's growth," she said.
In December last year, the state government established the Selangor Drone Action Plan, with SELATI serving as the secretariat alongside several leading aerospace agencies.
In the 2024 Selangor Budget, Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari announced a RM2 million allocation specifically for exploring and developing drone technology.
The initiative will be implemented through SELATI to position Selangor as one of Southeast Asia's leading drone development hubs.
