Airbus and Thailand's Civil Aviation Training Centre (CATC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in developing and implementing aircraft maintenance training and pilot training courses.
The aircraft manufacturer says it has started work with CATC on basic aircraft maintenance training courses, as well as ab initio flight training courses for pilots.
The goal is to support Thailand's aviation industry with a steady supply of pilots, engineers and mechanics for Thai carriers and MRO facilities.
In its 2018 Global Services Forecast, Airbus predicts that Asia-Pacific will have a demand for 220,000 new pilots and 260,000 new technicians over the next 20 years.
The MoU builds on Airbus's relationship with Thailand since 1977, where state-owned Thai Airways International was one of its earliest customers. Bangkok Airways and Thai AirAsia are the other Airbus operators in Thailand.
In June 2018, Airbus and Thai Airways also signed an agreement to work on an MRO joint venture to be located at U-Tapao International airport. When fully operational, the facility will offer heavy maintenance and line services for all types of widebodies, and also feature specialised repair shops and a maintenance training centre.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
