Aircraft centre on AOT agenda

[webfact]

Aircraft centre on AOT agenda
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- AN aircraft maintenance centre may be built at the Chiang Rai International Airport in the North to cope with the growth in air travel and tourism in Southeast Asia and China, the Airports of Thailand (AOT) said.

Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, president of AOT, said last week the company was studying the feasibility of building an aircraft heavy-maintenance centre at Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport, to handle the significant growth in the aviation and tourism industries in the North and the region as a whole.

"AOT is planning an aircraft heavy-maintenance centre in the north of Thailand. Chiang Rai airport has high potential. If the project happens, AOT should take benefit from many airlines operating in the southern part of China and as well as in Southeast Asia and Thailand," he said.

AOT is the operator of six international airports in Thailand.

Currently, Singapore is benefiting from the bulk of the business from aircraft heavy-maintenance and after-sales services. Many airlines from southern China are using Singapore for such services, he said.

Once the feasibility study is completed, AOT will invite key players in aviation to join investment and development.

Several airlines, including Thai Airways International and AirAsia, have expressed an interest in the project.

Tassapon Bijleveld, chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia, said details of the plan still needed to be ironed out, but AirAsia already has its own maintenance centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

However, the regional no-frills airline is interested in investing in an aircraft parking bay at Don Mueang International Airport.

According to Nitinai, more than 8,000 new aircraft are scheduled to deliver an increasing number of passengers in the coming years. Of that number, 2,800 new aircraft will arrive in Asia and about 1,400 of those will go Southeast Asia, including Thailand.

Don Mueang International Airport has since 2012 catered to low-cost carrier (LCC) traffic with passenger numbers for 2014 besting the previous year's figures by 30 per cent.

This year, the airport has already served 22.5 million |international and local passengers, making it the busiest LCC airport in the world.

"We are going to have the third-phrase development at Don Mueang, which is expected to be completed by 2019. Additional capacity of 10 million passengers will be increased after the new phrase," Nitinai said.

Aside from the impending projects at Mae Fah Luang and Don Mueang airports, AOT is also planning to build a third runway and second passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the next five years.

Phuket International Airport is also expected to complete renovations and expansion by 2017, while Chiang Mai and Hat Yai airports have plans for renovations in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

"A budget of Bt142 billion is set for developments at six airports over the next 10 years.

"Of the budget, about Bt120 billion is earmarked to increase capacity in the next five years," Nitinai said.

By 2019, the number of annual passengers at the six airports is expected to increase from 81 million to 165 million.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Aircraft-centre-on-AOT-agenda-30269183.html


-- The Nation 2015-09-21

[clockman]

They do not have the trained people and skills!

[bangkokfrog]

So typical. With all the immediate problems facing aviation in Thailand, they are getting sidetracked with a "big budget" project like this. I think I know why.

But be that as it may, this article is an example of why Thailand has so many problems. I expect that it is almost identical to the AOT press release on the matter. Where is the investigative reporting? What evidence is there that this facility is really needed? Why Chiang Mai? etc. etc.

[sungod]

Two days ago Air France and KLM were here touting the idea at Utapao.

[JoePai]

Two days ago Air France and KLM were here touting the idea at Utapao.

Utapao has been slated for heavy maintenance for a long time as it has the infrastructure in the way of land/runways - seems the so called President does not know what is going on (as usual)

[ratcatcher]

So typical. With all the immediate problems facing aviation in Thailand, they are getting sidetracked with a "big budget" project like this. I think I know why.

But be that as it may, this article is an example of why Thailand has so many problems. I expect that it is almost identical to the AOT press release on the matter. Where is the investigative reporting? What evidence is there that this facility is really needed? Why Chiang Mai? etc. etc.

"Why Chiang Mai? etc. etc."

Perhaps your question should have been "Why Chiang Rai ?"

Maybe the powers that be feel that a major maintenance operation might bring employment to a northern city. However,as one poster rightly pointed out, "Have they got the skilled technicians to be employed in such a facility?"

[coulson]

At least they are doing a feasibility study.

Why does every article about anything to do with aviation just have to go into numbers on tourism.

The article was almost interesting until it mentioned that passengers will double in 4 years.

[fred Kubasa]

Aircraft maintenance center in Thailand ? Staffed by some of the same people who put telephone poles in the middle of streets,must re do virtually every job 2 to 3 times, eventually abandoning the job and 9 of 10 don't even know what the hell the word means ? Maintenance indeed !