Thailand and France will work together to develop the kingdom’s aviation industry to prepare it for the demands of the future, according to Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit on Sunday.
Following a discussion with Damien Caze, the chief of France’s Directorate-General for Civil Aviation, in Paris during an official trip to France, Mr Suriya said the cooperation will be carried out in line with the principles outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Technical Cooperation between France and Thailand, which has been in effect for quite some time.
The MoU with France, the minister added, has allowed both nations to continue their close cooperation in developing various areas of Thailand’s aviation industry.
Sunday’s discussion was focused on efforts to upgrade the capacity of Thailand’s aviation industry, Mr Suriya added.
For example, he said there is a growing need to develop new aircraft models which respond to the demands of the future.
These include the development of Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) drones, which could improve the efficiency of small-scale transport and logistics, as well as urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles, small aircraft that can be used to transport people or goods in urban areas.
The delegates also discussed ways to boost cyber security, in response to the risks and challenges cyberattacks pose to the aviation industry both now and in the future.
Other topics for future cooperation also include aviation ecology, referring to the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to help with the decarbonisation of the industry, he said.
In addition, Mr Suriya also met representatives from private companies to invite them to invest in Thailand.
The companies include Satys, which specialises in aircraft painting, sealing, and manufacturing interiors for the aerospace and rail sectors, with clients such as Airbus, Boeing, Stelia Aerospace, and Air France.
He also met representatives from Germany-based Volocopter, which specialises in eco-friendly, electric multirotor helicopters which could be used as personal air vehicles or air taxis.
Mr Suriya said he also discussed the one-trillion-baht southern Land Bridge megaproject with representatives of CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest shipping company, and Artelia, an international construction consulting group, to drum up interest in the megaproject.
The Land Bridge project, a planned logistics network connecting Ranong on the Andaman Sea coast to Chumphon in the Gulf of Thailand, will include construction of deep-water ports in both provinces, a motorway cutting across the land to connect the two provinces, as well as a railway system.
Both companies showed their interest and also provided some suggestions, he said.
They also asked for further details on the project for future consideration and exchanged contacts with the Thai delegates as well, the transport minister added.