SiamJet Airlines (Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) and other Thai start-ups could see added competition later this year in the form of a new joint venture which features Dubai-based MRO firm, Transworld Aviation (TWA), as a minority shareholder.
Backed by TWA Thailand, a joint venture between TWA (49%) and Chaimongkol Sukonthamat, a local investor and Thai-American national (51%), the yet-to-be-named carrier will reportedly offer charter flights linking Bangkok Don Mueang and Phuket with destinations in southern China in its initial phase. TWA will also establish an MRO and parts distribution centre in Thailand aimed at focussing on military and government aircraft contracts as well as private jet aviation.
"Within five years, we should have a big maintenance centre in Southeast Asia. Our strength is providing OEM [original equipment manufacturing] parts and expertise. We [have stocks] that can be delivered to customers within 48 hours," TWA chairman Abdullah Al Sulaimani told the Nation newspaper in an interview.
The centre would compete with Singapore Airlines's SIA Engineering based out of Singapore Changi and Malaysia Airlines's MAS Engineering based in both Kuala Lumpur International and Kuala Lumpur Subang, Al Sulaimani added.
Established in the United Kingdom before moving to the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai in 1994, TWA has branches in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Tanzania, and the United States. Its clients include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Oman Air, PIA - Pakistan International Airlines, and Yemenia among others.
