
SINGAPORE—Thai airport operator Airports of Thailand (AOT) is in the process of making Chiang Rai airport (CEI) a new maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) center, with an eye on the Chinese market.
AOT President Kerati Kijmanawat tells Aviation Week that land preparation work has begun at the airport and the hangar will be built by the end of 2025. He added that AOT is in talks with Chinese aerospace group AVIC to build a potential MRO provider there.
“There is a lot of land at Chiang Rai; we have only used 316 acres of the 1,186 acres available. And being situated near the southern border of China, there’s a lot of Chinese aircraft that want to do MRO, but cannot do it effectively in China,” Kerati said, noting that being a new site it would take time to gain traction and will likely become viable in five years.
CAPA data shows CEI has a single 3,000 m (9,800 ft.) x 45 m (148 ft.) runway, serving only three domestic destinations and one international point. Carriers operating at CEI include China Eastern Airlines, Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, Thai Airways, Thai Lion Air and Thai Vietjet Air.
Concurrently, studies are underway to build new MRO facilities at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK). Plans to expand the current northern terminal were shelved, hence more land was freed up for another hangar at the capital’s airport. Being an untapped segment, Kerati said AOT plans to further entice airlines to conduct MRO work in Bangkok as passenger demand to the kingdom continues to grow.