PM Luxon accompanies PM Anutin on a personal tour of NZAero aircraft, strengthening Thai-New Zealand aviation ties.
Today (Friday, 21 August 2026) at 15:00 hrs local Auckland time, which is five hours ahead of Thailand, at the aircraft hangar of Ardmore Airport, Ms Rachada Thanadirek, Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that Mr Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, personally escorted Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on a visit to view the aircraft of NZAero.
Mr Stephen Burrow, an executive of NZAero, welcomed the two prime ministers and delivered a briefing on the company's operations, before leading them on a tour of the aircraft exhibition and a close-up demonstration of the CT-4 light aircraft.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister remarked that this visit to NZAero reflects the longstanding relationship and cooperation between Thailand and New Zealand. Thailand has maintained a continuous bond with the company's aircraft, including their use in the Royal Rainmaking Mission — an initiative that originated from the royal initiative of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great — as well as their use as training aircraft in Thailand, including for the flight training of Her Majesty the Queen.
The Prime Minister also noted with pride that he himself had trained on this aircraft model, describing it as a high-performance aircraft with strong safety standards, and expressed great pleasure at the opportunity to revisit an aircraft that has held such a long and meaningful connection with Thailand.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister extended his thanks to the Prime Minister of New Zealand for personally accompanying him on the visit, saying it reflects the closeness and friendship between the leaders and peoples of both countries. He expressed confidence that this visit would serve as a springboard for expanding cooperation between Thailand and New Zealand, particularly in the aviation industry, in ways that are closer and more concrete — benefiting human resource development, enhancing capabilities, and creating new opportunities for the aviation industries of both countries in the future.
At the conclusion of the visit, both prime ministers also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Top Flying Limited and NZAero.
"This visit reflects the government's commitment to seeking knowledge and opportunities through international cooperation, in order to build upon them for the benefit of the Thai people — including skills development, creating opportunities in the aviation industry, and elevating Thailand's aviation industry to grow and become more competitive in the future," Ms Rachada said.
