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15 million passengers a year, says Salil the MRO sector. “Singapore has its limitations when it comes to
Wisalswadi, Executive Director of Basic and space. We are growing; there are studies that show that the cost
Supporting Industries of the Thailand Board of doing MRO business is lower in Thailand than in Singapore.
of Investment, who attended MRO Americas The quality of MRO services in Thailand is also higher. We create
earlier this year to apprise North American over 180,000 engineers and 200,00 scientists every year; we
companies about the investment opportuni- also have many universities offering degrees in aerospace engi-
ties available to them in Thailand. neering besides aviation training centers.”
The country’s current MRO focus is on components, engines
“Traffic at the airport has been and line maintenance; its MRO expenditure is expected to reach
increasing steadily; the number has a total of US $10.6 billion by 2024. The top five components
already crossed one million in 2018,” produced in Thailand - wheels and brakes, APU, IFE compo-
“We expect at least 2 million passen- nents, engine-fuel and control, and landing gear - are forecast
gers by the end of the year.” to generate more than US$1.7 billion through the same time
Wisalswadi tells Asian period. About 6.3 percent of the total commercial airlines’ MRO
Airlines & Aerospace. expenditure in the Asia Pacific during the period is expected to
occur in Thailand.
Timing it to Perfection
ork on the proposed airport city
and the overall development of
the EEC has been timed to take
Wadvantage of the fact that the
Asia Pacific region is the fastest growing avi-
ation market. According to IATA, more than
half of the new passenger traffic will come
from the region over the next two decades.
Four of the five fastest growing markets in
terms of additional passengers per year will
be from Asia, it adds.
With Asia forecast to have a 40 percent
share of the global fleet by 2027, industry
experts expect a substantial increase in MRO
demand in the region. The combined MRO
demand in Asia Pacific, China, and India is
expected to be double that in North America
by 2027. Thailand believes it has what it takes Airbus in the Picture
to become a major MRO player in the Asia In what is expected to provide considerable momentum to the
Pacific region. country’s efforts to become an MRO powerhouse, Airbus and
Thai Airways International (THAI) have inked an agreement
“We already have major international to establish a new joint venture MRO facility at the U-Tapao
MRO companies operating in International Airport. The project is expected to cost about
Thailand such as Triumph Aviation US$338 million, with the joint venture company and the Thai
Service – Asia (TASA), Chromalloy, Navy sharing the cost.
Rolls Royce, TurbineAero and
Scandinavian Aircraft Maintenance As per the agreement signed June 22 at the Airbus headquar-
(SAMTHAI),” says Wisalswadi, ters in Toulouse, the proposed facility will be one of “the most
modern and extensive in the Asia-Pacific region, offering heavy
“We are confident about attracting maintenance and line services for all widebody aircraft types.”
new investment; many European The facility will feature the latest digital technologies to analyse
companies have already expressed aircraft maintenance data, as well as advanced inspection tech-
interest in coming into the proposed niques, including the use of drones to monitor aircraft airframes.
aeropolis; we will have a better Also proposed are specialised repair shops, including for com-
idea soon.” posite structures, as well as a maintenance training center.
“THAI and Airbus have undertaken extensive studies to vali-
Wisalswadi believes Thailand is better poised date the business plan for this exciting project,” said Usanee
than Singapore to attract new investors in Sangsingkeo, THAI acting president. “We are confident that this

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