The The Feasibility of Establishing Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) in Nakhon Phanom Province of Thailand

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to conduct a feasibility study into establishing Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. A qualitative research was used with a semi-structured, in-depth interview as a data collection tool. The researcher team selected key informants through the snowball technique. In accordance with the data source triangulation concept, 9 key informants were derived from 3 sources: academic institutions, government agencies and executives from airlines.

            The result revealed that Nakhon Phanom province had two major reasons supporting the feasibility of becoming Thailand MRO. First of all, there are extensive plots of land owned by the government and available for continual utilization. Secondly, the existing International Aviation College (IAC) has the potential to produce quality commercial pilots, aircraft maintenance mechanics, flight instructors and aviation personnel at both bachelor and graduate levels. From this research, it was recommended that Nakhon Phanom MRO should seek support from provincial administration and collaborate with Nakhon Phanom University, for its potential of different kinds of curricula to produce a complete range of aviation personnel. Finally, there should be a push for a national policy to recognize MRO as having similar standards as U-Tapao Industrial Estate. Furthermore, the training and preparation of aircraft maintenance mechanics should follow the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as the basic standard prior to adopting other standards like European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).