Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) has met with aerospace giant Airbus to bolster the nation’s role as a regional hub for digital technology and aviation engineering, leveraging Thailand as the sole global testing ground for the firm's flight operations software.
Speaking after talks with Bert Porteman, President of Airbus Thailand, BOI Secretary General Narit Therdsteerasukdi stated that “Airbus regards Thailand as a core strategic base… The manufacturer has established its regional Flight Operations Centre of Excellence in the country to support digital aviation systems and service markets across Asia.”
Airbus currently employs over 200 staff in Thailand, more than triple its 2022 workforce, with Thais accounting for 85% of the team across aerospace engineering, software development, graphic design and technical fields.
The company plans to hire more than 40 additional personnel by the end of this year.
Under the digital initiative, Airbus will expand its ‘Skywise’ platform in Thailand to handle data analytics, flight planning, safety management and predictive maintenance for global clients.
Bangkok will serve as the regional headquarters overseeing operations across ASEAN, China, India, Japan and South Korea, while also acting as the company’s exclusive software testing site.
Moreover, Airbus collaborates with various Thai agencies and private sector partners, including work in the space sector with the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) and aircraft maintenance with Thai Aviation Industries (TAI).
Furthermore, both sides agreed on workforce development initiatives to expand maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities for the country's active fleet of over 150 commercial aircraft and nearly 80 helicopters, alongside joint efforts to promote Thailand as a regional production base for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Porteman projects that global passenger traffic and fleet sizes will double over the next 20 years, creating demand for more than 20,000 new aircraft. While Airbus holds an order backlog exceeding 9,000 aircraft, representing over a decade of production, global aerospace manufacturers face supply chain bottlenecks, labour shortages and geopolitical tensions.
The president of Airbus Thailand added that “Geopolitical neutrality and the quality of the Thai workforce serve as key strengths that position Thailand to accommodate the diversification of the aviation supply chain.”
“The country should define specific areas of target expertise and leverage existing high-potential industries, particularly automotive and high-precision parts, to transition into aircraft structural manufacturing. Currently, Airbus relies on approximately 80 Tier 1 to Tier 3 suppliers operating in Thailand,” Porteman emphasised.
“The meeting marked a crucial opportunity to increase Thailand’s role in the global aviation industry,” the BOI Secretary General added. “This encompasses digital and software operations, supply chain and workforce development, MRO capacity building and the production of sustainable aviation fuel.”
He stated that the BOI stands ready to coordinate with Airbus and relevant agencies to promote Thailand as a regional centre for aviation and advanced technology.
