Airbus eyes making Thailand Asia-Pacific aviation hub with new operations centre
Stanley pointed out that the Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing aviation market in the world, and Airbus forecasts a demand for about 20,000 new aircraft in the region over the next 20 years, accounting for half of the global aircraft demand. Thailand is identified as one of the largest markets within this growth, he said.
'This year, we expect to deliver a total of 820 aircraft globally, with the majority of orders coming from the Asia-Pacific region,' he said. 'In Thailand, Airbus aircraft are operated by Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, and Thai VietJet. Soon, Thai Airways will be launching its A321neo aircraft, featuring a new business-class seating configuration by the end of this year.'
Stanley further emphasised that Airbus is committed to supporting Thailand's aviation industry, contributing to the country's economic development. The aviation sector in Thailand plays a key role in employment, with over 130,000 jobs and contributing over seven per cent to the country's GDP before the Covid-19 pandemic. Thailand is also recognised as a leader in sustainability in the region.
Additionally, Airbus believes Thailand has the potential to produce more than five million tonnes of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) annually. The country's agricultural sector, which can provide excellent raw materials for SAF production—such as molasses, rice straw, corn stalks, and animal waste—aligns with Airbus's commitment to working with the Thai government and SAF producers to promote sustainable aviation fuel production.
To further underscore its commitment to Thailand, Airbus has invested in a new 1,200-square-metre office in the country, which also houses NAVBLUE, Airbus's digital aviation operations unit. The new office will serve as a testing and verification centre for software solutions before delivery to global airline customers. It will also function as a regional operations hub to support and assist aircraft customers across the Asia-Pacific region in real time. - The Nation/ANN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Analysis-Just in time? Manufacturers turn to AI to weather tariff storm
LONDON (Reuters) -Manufacturers like U.S. lawnmower maker The Toro Company are not panicking at the prospect of U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade tariffs. Despite five years of dramatic supply disruptions, from the COVID pandemic to today's trade wars, Toro is resisting any temptation to stack its warehouses to the rafters. "We are at probably pre-pandemic inventory levels," says its chief supply-chain manager, Kevin Carpenter, looking relaxed in front of a whiteboard at his office in Minneapolis. "I mean 2019. I think everybody will be at a 2019 level." Among U.S. manufacturers, inventories have roller-coasted this year as they rushed to beat Trump's deadlines for tariff hikes, only to see them repeatedly delayed. But since their post-pandemic expansion, inventories have mostly contracted, according to U.S. Institute for Supply Management data. Instead, "just in time" inventory management - which aims to increase efficiency and reduce waste by ordering goods only as they are needed - is back. But how can firms run lean inventories even as tariffs fluctuate, export bans come out of the blue, and conflict rages? One of the answers, they say, is artificial intelligence. Carpenter says he uses AI to digest the daily stream of news that could impact Toro's business, from Trump's latest social media posts to steel prices, into a custom-made podcast that he listens to each morning. His team also uses generative AI to sieve an ocean of data and to suggest when and how many components to buy from whom. It is a boom industry. Spending on software that includes generative AI for supplychains, capable of learning and even performing tasks on its own, could hit $55 billion by 2029, up from $2.7 billion now, according to U.S. research firm Gartner, driven in part by global uncertainties. HYPE "The tool just puts up in front of you: 'I think you can take 100 tonnes of this product from this plant to transfer it to that plant. And you just hit accept if that makes sense (to you)," McKinsey supply chain consultant Matt Jochim said. The biggest providers of overall supply chain software by revenue are Germany's SAP, U.S. firms Oracle, Coupa and Microsoft and Blue Yonder, a unit of Panasonic, according to Gartner. Generative AI is in its infancy, with most firms still piloting it spending modest amounts, industry experts say. Those investments can climb to tens of millions of dollars when deployed at scale, including the use of tools known as AI agents, which make their own decisions and often need costly upgrades to data management and other IT systems, they said. In commenting for this article, SAP, Oracle, Coupa, Microsoft and Blue Yonder described strong growth for generative AI solutions for supply chains without giving numbers. At U.S. supply chain consultancy GEP, which sells AI tools like this, Trump's tariffs are helping to drive demand. "The tariff volatility has been big," says GEP consultant Mukund Acharya, an expert in retail industry supply chains. SAP said the uncertainty was driving technology take-up. "That's how it was during the financial crisis, Brexit and COVID. And it's what we're seeing now," Richard Howells, SAP vice president and supply chain specialist, said in a statement. An AI agent can sift real-time news feeds on changing tariff scenarios, assess contract renewal dates and a myriad of other data points and come up with a suggested plan of action. But supply chain experts warn of AI hype, saying a lot of money will be wasted on a vain hope that AI can work miracles. "AI is really a powerful enabler for supply chain resilience, but it's not a silver bullet," says Minna Aila, communications chief at Finnish crane-maker Konecranes and member of a business board that advises the OECD on issues including supply chain resilience. "I'm still looking forward to the day when AI can predict terrorist attacks that are at sea, for instance." Konecranes' logistics partners are deploying AI on more mundane data, like weather forecasts. The company makes port cranes that are up to 106 metres (348 ft) high when assembled. When shipping them, AI marries weather forecasts with data like bridge heights to optimise the route. "To ship those across oceans, you do have to take into consideration weather," Aila says. RISING COSTS By keeping inventories low, firms can bolster profit margins that are under pressure from rising costs. Every component or finished product sitting on a shelf is capital tied up, incurring finance and storage costs and at risk of obsolescence. McKinsey has been surveying supply-chain executives since the pandemic. Its most recent survey showed that respondents relying on bigger inventory to cushion disruptions fell to 34% last year from 60% in 2022. Early responses from its upcoming 2025 survey suggest a similar picture, Jochim said. Gartner supply chain analyst Noha Tohamy says that without AI, companies would be slower to react and be more likely to be drawn into building up inventories. "When supply chain organisations don't have that visibility and don't really understand the uncertainty, we go for inventory buffering," Tohamy says. But AI agents won't put supply chain managers out of work, not yet, consultants say. Humans still need to make strategic and big tactical decisions, leaving AI agents to do more routine tasks like ordering and scheduling production maintenance. Toro supply chain chief Carpenter says that without AI, supply chain managers might need to run bigger teams as well. Is he worried that AI is coming for his job one day? "I hope it doesn't take it until my kids get through college!" (Reporting by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Air Kelantan to settle RM61 million electricity arrears to TNB in stages
KOTA BARU: The Kelantan government has acknowledged that Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (Air Kelantan) owes Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) RM61 million in outstanding electricity bills and will settle the amount in stages. State Infrastructure, Water and Rural Development Committee chairman Datuk Dr Izani Husin said the arrears were partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order, which hindered bill collection, coupled with some residents withholding payment during frequent water supply disruptions. "TNB has met with us to discuss possible solutions, but no agreement has been finalised. "We will discuss further to determine a repayment schedule. With Air Kelantan's improved management, we are confident the debt will be cleared according to the agreed timeline," he told reporters after the weekly state executive council meeting at Kompleks Kota Darulnaim today. He added that Air Kelantan had previously settled older electricity arrears according to schedule, but several districts were found to still have outstanding amounts. Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof revealed that Air Kelantan's arrears with TNB had reached about RM61 million as of June 30.
Barnama
4 hours ago
- Barnama
Thailand Sets Up One-stop Service Centre To Help Exporters Weather US Tariffs
BUSINESS BANGKOK, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Thailand has established the Ministry of Commerce One Stop Service (MOC OSS) Centre to assist Thai businesses in responding to United States (US) tariff measures, offering comprehensive trade services ranging from tax advisory to market expansion to help reduce export costs. Deputy Government Spokesperson Anukool Pruksanusak said the initiative aims to drive forward the 'Reliable Commerce' policy, with the government serving as a dependable partner for Thai entrepreneurs at all levels — from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large corporations. 'The government is prepared to support entrepreneurs in every dimension — both proactive and reactive — to stand alongside Thai businesses, enabling them to adapt and maintain their competitiveness in global markets,' he said in a statement published on the Royal Thai Government website on Wednesday. Anukool said the establishment of the OSS Centre is just one of several measures the government has put in place to address the impact of the US's 19 per cent import tariff. At present, the OSS Centre brings together 12 agencies providing services on-site. He said there are also plans to invite other ministries and organisations, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Federation of Thai Industries, Thai Chamber of Commerce, and the SMEs Association, to further expand service coverage. 'The OSS Centre is designed to be a comprehensive support hub for entrepreneurs, offering services ranging from tax advisory and remedial measures to information provision, business cost-reduction strategies, and the creation of new global market opportunities — enabling businesses to adapt swiftly to changing circumstances,' he said. According to a presidential order issued by the White House on July 31, Thailand, along with four other ASEAN member states – Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Indonesia – will be subject to the same 19 per cent tariff, effective Aug 1. The new rate replaces the 36 per cent tariff announced in April, bringing Thailand's tariff treatment more in line with that of other regional economies.
