Thailand’s CATC to Work with Airbus on Pilot, Maintenance Training

Airbus and Thailand’s Civil Aviation Training Center (CATC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday to work together on projects to develop and implement maintenance training and pilot training courses in the country.

Airbus has already started working with the CATC on basic maintenance training courses, and this could be expanded to include additional maintenance courses as well as ab initio flight training courses for pilots.

The goal is to support the development of the country’s aviation industry by helping to ensure that there is a steady supply of pilots, engineers and mechanics for Thailand’s airlines and MRO centres.

Airbus has forecast a demand for 220,000 new pilots and more than 260,000 new technicians in the Asia-Pacific region over the next 20 years.

Rear Admiral Piya Atmungkun, President, Civil Aviation Training Center, said: “We are pleased to sign this MOU and deepen our strong relationship with Airbus in the areas of maintenance training and ab initio pilot training. The combination of Airbus’ world-class expertise and the CATC’s understanding of the requirements of Thailand’s aviation industry means that this has the potential to become a highly successful and long-standing partnership.”

Airbus and Thailand deepened their long-standing partnership in June 2018, when the company signed an agreement with Thai Airways to work on an MRO joint venture at U-Tapao International Airport near Pattaya. When fully operational, the facility which will be one of the most modern and extensive in the Asia Pacific region, will offer heavy maintenance and line services for all widebody aircraft types, specialised repair shops including for composite structures, as well as a maintenance training centre offering extensive courses for technical personnel from Thailand and overseas.

“We are pleased to sign this MOU with the CATC, which is Thailand’s leading aviation training institute. Thailand is an important partner for Airbus, as well as one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the region. This allows us to work together to provide the highest levels of training needed to meet the increasing need for qualified aviation professionals in the country,” said Jean-Francois Laval, Executive Vice President, Asia, Airbus.

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