Airbus expresses interest in Thai maintenance centers

Thailand’s Minister of Transport said that Europe’s Airbus Corporation has expressed interest in investing in three maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centers in the Kingdom, while the government approved a budget for expanding Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport.

Saksayam Chidchob, Minister of Transport, said that feasibility studies are underway for the MRO centers at airports in Nakhon Ratchasima, Surat Thani and Phitsanulok provinces. The centers will be funded by public-private partnerships.

Airbus is one of the foreign investors that are interested in investing, along with other Thai and foreign firms, said Saksayam. Besides an MRO center at U-Tapao International Airport in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), Thailand is on track to become a regional hub for air MRO services and facilities.

More MRO centers are on the drawing board.

“In 2024, we will start feasibility studies for more MRO centers at Mukdahan, Bueng Kan and Satun airports,” Saksayam further added. “The new MRO centers will meet high demand for aircraft repair and maintenance services, providing continuous revenue for the Department of Airports.”

Meanwhile, the cabinet of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha approved a budget of just over $1 billion for third phase of expansion of Don Muang International Airport, the second major airport in Bangkok and the second-largest gateway to the Kingdom.

The expansion is part of Thailand’s massive ongoing national infrastructure upgrade and establishes three major international airports in or close to the capital: Suvarnabhumi, Don Muang and U-Tapao.

The third phase of developing Don Muang Airport is aimed to increase the airport’s capacity to 40 million passengers a year from the current 30 million amount.

Photo courtesy of https://www.airbus.com/en/our-worldwide-presence/airbus-in-asia-pacific/airbus-in-thailand