Thai aerospace is ready to take off with the huge opportunity of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, but airline competition will continue to intensify as low-cost carriers broaden their networks.
With the rapid growth of aviation and aerospace across Southeast Asia, Thailand is taking advantage of the trend with its central location and booming tourism industry.
US plane maker Boeing forecasts demand for new aircraft in Asia-Pacific to increase 2.8 times over the next 18 years, from current demand of 6,139 to 16,977 aircraft.
For Thailand, the number of aircraft movements at the six international airports operated by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) grew by 5.4% to 833,084 flights in the budget year that ended in September 2018, while passenger numbers grew by 9.4% and freight and postal parcel volume rose by 9.7%.
Aviation and related business apart from MRO, logistics, catering and land transport service will be developed. As a result, Thailand is expected to assume a new role as a regional hub for both aviation and non-aviation.
Sumeth Damrongchaitham, president of Thai Airways International Plc (THAI), said maintenance services will generate more revenue for the company, alongside the commercial, catering and cargo business.
Sumeth: Non-airline business enticing
THAI and its subsidiaries posted a net loss of 3.68 billion baht for the third quarter of 2018, narrowing by 1.87 billion baht compared with the same quarter a year earlier. The flag carrier remains optimistic about the future.
THAI signed an agreement with Airbus on maintenance, repair and operations opportunities at U-tapao airport in 2017, and it inked a deal with Rolls-Royce in 2018 on Trent XWB engine research and development at THAI's maintenance centre in Bangkok.
"Non-airline business is a new opportunity for THAI," Mr Sumeth said. "The collaboration with foreign partners will enable Thailand to become a service centre for the region."
THAI's new MRO will have capacity to service 80-100 aircraft a year. In addition, the airline is developing its MRO campus near U-tapao airport for completion in 2023. The campus aims to become one of the most advanced aerospace centres in Asia.
Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, president of Bangkok Airways Plc, said the carrier is eyeing investment in MRO facilities near U-tapao airport on the Eastern Seaboard.
The "boutique" airline is also working on its second maintenance centre at Sukhothai airport, scheduled to open in 2019.
The eastward drift of THAI and Bangkok Airways is aimed at taking advantage of the economic and logistical boom from the government's Eastern Economic Corridor initiative.
Mr Puttipong said airline competition in Thailand and in the global market will continue to be tough because of global economic instability, the proliferation of budget airlines and rising jet fuel prices.
"Thailand in particular will face even more difficulty in 2019, so we have to shift our focus from expanding domestic routes and opening new routes in Indochina, along with seeking new business like maintenance and duty-free," he said.
International aviation experts are scheduled to discuss the outlook and challenges at the Civil Aviation Southeast Asia Summit in Bangkok next September. Topics will include how the region will prepare human resources, particularly pilots and technical experts, to cope with speedy growth.
Besides aviation, Thailand's tourism industry is also predicted to continue its growth in 2019, despite experiencing a decline in the China market.
With economic growth and more middle-class tourists, intra-regional air travel in Southeast Asia is forecast to increase 7.7% a year over the next 20 years.
Hitoshi Morimoto, regional manager for Thailand, Indochina and the South Asian subcontinent at Japan Airlines, said the airline and tourism industries in the region will continue to face obstacles.
More intensive marketing will be a difference maker in the market, he said, especially for low-cost airlines.
Carriers will try to secure target markets and focus on emerging countries like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, Mr Morimoto said.