Navy plans to develop 500 rai area to support U-Tapao aviation hub
The Royal Thai Navy has said that the development of Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) continued to move forward despite the Covid-19 situation.
Private concessionaire projects such as U-Tapao Airport and Eastern Aviation City continue to proceed on the parts that can be done, such as surveying and project design.
Meanwhile, the Navy and the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Office (EECO) are also discussing the development of other projects to support investment after the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of the development plan, the EECO aims to implement projects related to the aviation industry zone (ATZ) development over a 500-rai (80 hectares) area to support investment in the aviation industry.
The ATZ project will support private investments related to the targeted industries, such as the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Centre (MRO), which will help support U-Tapao Airport and the EEC's Eastern Aviation City as a hub for the aerospace industry development.
In the process of planning, it is expected to begin test investor interest and invite investors by September.
The private sector has expressed interest in investing in the aircraft repair centres in the ATZ area as they expect a boom in the aviation industry, especially in Asia. This will enable the aviation industry to recover by leaps and bounds and lead to investment in aircraft repair centres.
The Navy expects the aviation industry will return to pre-Covid-19 activity levels in 2023-24.
