Thaksin plans to turn Thailand into a tech and aviation powerhouse
Solar farms, smart cars and high-speed hubs at the heart of Thailand’s next economic leap
Thaksin Shinawatra is back in the spotlight—and he’s thinking big. The former PM has laid out an ambitious strategy to turn Thailand into a regional superhub for aviation, electric vehicles (EV), and green-powered data centres, in what he calls a “golden opportunity” for national transformation.
In his recent public statement, Thaksin said Thailand is geographically primed to become ASEAN’s premier aviation hub, but current policies are holding it back. One major issue? A rock-bottom Passenger Service Charge (PSC) of just 735 baht per person, far lower than Singapore’s 1,500 baht.
“Raise it by 100 baht and Airports of Thailand (AOT) could gain an extra 14 billion baht annually,” he said.
A 300 baht increase, he added, could net 40 billion baht, money that could fund major airport upgrades and push Thailand into the global aviation elite.
But infrastructure isn’t the only issue. Thaksin pointed to “petty laws” such as indoor smoking bans at airports, and the lack of connecting flights and services for transit passengers as deterrents for travellers.
He argued that more funding should go toward developing provincial airports like Chiang Mai and Phuket, or acquiring key assets like Krabi Airport, to position Thailand as a serious aviation player.
His vision doesn’t stop at the skies. Thaksin also proposed an aggressive pivot to EV production and green energy. He urged the government to impose excise taxes on imported cars that lack Thai-made components, encouraging local assembly and foreign joint ventures.
He cited the example of a locally designed electric tuk tuk, expected to cost around 200,000 baht per unit, as a symbol of clean, cost-effective Thai innovation, reported Kaohoon International.
At the heart of Thaksin’s digital transformation plan is energy, specifically, solar power. He proposed building solar farms on 1.4 million rai of available land in the northeast, generating 40,000 MW of clean energy to fuel future industries.
“Green electricity is the passport to attracting global data centres,” Thaksin said, noting that Thailand could slash power costs to just 3 baht per unit and become the ‘Embassy of the World’ for high-tech infrastructure.
His long-term dream: a “Green EGAT” powered by HVDC lines feeding low-cost, 24/7 renewable energy straight to the data hubs of tomorrow.
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