Thai Airways plans THB10 billion U-Tapao aircraft maintenance centre
The agreement will cover 33.6 hectares, with construction due to start in 2027 and the THB10 billion maintenance centre scheduled to open in 2030.
- Thai Airways is signing a 50-year lease for 33.6 hectares of land to develop an aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) centre at U-Tapao.
- The project requires an estimated investment of THB10 billion, with construction set to begin in 2027 and the centre scheduled to open in 2030.
- The facility will feature a smart hangar capable of servicing three wide-body aircraft simultaneously, targeting both Airbus and Boeing models.
- A wholly owned subsidiary, Thai MRO Services Company Limited, has been established to manage the project, which aims to create a new revenue source and establish a regional MRO hub.
Chula Sukmanop, secretary-general of the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand (EECO), told Thansettakij that Thai Airways International Public Company Limited was preparing to sign a lease agreement with EECO on Tuesday (August 4, 2026).
The lease will cover 33.6 hectares.
The site will be used to develop the U-Tapao aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre.
The lease, covering 33.6 hectares, will run for 50 years from Tuesday (September 1, 2026), with the state receiving returns in two forms:
- A fixed land rental fee, adjusted in line with Treasury Department rates.
- Revenue sharing based on a tiered share of revenue. During years 1–4, while design and construction are underway, only the land rental fee will be collected. Revenue sharing will begin once revenue is generated, which is expected in year 5. The rate will be 3% in years 5–10, 5% in years 11–15 and 7% from year 15 onwards.
Thai Airways estimates that the U-Tapao MRO project will require investment of about THB10 billion, for which funding has already been allocated.
Construction is due to begin in 2027, and the centre is scheduled to open in 2030, Chula concluded.
For the project, Thai Airways has registered a wholly owned subsidiary, Thai MRO Services Company Limited (TMS), specifically to oversee MRO operations.
It currently has registered capital of THB2 billion and plans to increase its capital as appropriate in the future.
The roughly THB10 billion project will include a smart hangar using modern technology to provide maintenance services for Airbus and Boeing aircraft, as well as heavy maintenance.
The facility will be able to accommodate three wide-body aircraft simultaneously, with annual capacity for 110 wide-body aircraft and 130 narrow-body aircraft.
Initial annual revenue is targeted at THB400–500 million, with average annual growth of 2% expected.
The U-Tapao MRO expansion is expected to create “a new source of stable revenue” and diversify business risks.
Thai Airways aims to use these companies to help develop the organisation into a regional MRO hub in the future.
This would form part of efforts to strengthen competitiveness in Southeast Asia’s rapidly growing aviation market.
