Korean Air and Thai Aviation Industries (TAI), Thailand’s state-owned aviation maintenance specialist, are beginning cooperation on military aircraft MRO. On September 2, 2026, the two companies signed a Teaming Agreement (TA) for comprehensive aviation MRO business cooperation at Korean Air’s Tech Center in Gangseo-gu, Busan.
Key Changes
The first focus of the cooperation is the UH-60 Black Hawk, Thailand’s Army’s main helicopter. The two companies will cooperate on depot-level maintenance for the aircraft, while Korean Air will support TAI with military aircraft maintenance-process standardization and technical training.
The first area of cooperation is depot-level maintenance for Thailand’s Army UH-60 Black Hawks.
Current Status
The announcement means that the two companies have agreed on the direction and initial scope of their cooperation. However, signing the agreement does not by itself confirm subsequent maintenance volumes, new revenue, investment amounts, facility locations, or the project launch schedule.
Korean Air said it has performed depot-level maintenance and performance upgrades on more than 5,500 military aircraft over the past 50-plus years. It also explained that it began producing UH-60 helicopters in 1991 and has handled maintenance of the aircraft type ever since.
Impact
Korean Air presented the cooperation as a foundation for entering the aviation MRO market in Southeast Asia. The two companies said they plan to expand the scope of cooperation to other military aircraft operated by the Thai military in the future.
However, the information currently confirmed covers only UH-60 cooperation, technical support, and plans for future expansion. There is not enough publicly available information to interpret this as a separate defense-weapons export contract or a confirmed large-scale order.
What to Watch Next
The following developments should be monitored:
- The actual contract and volume for UH-60 maintenance
- The maintenance site and project launch schedule
- The technical-training schedule and specific scope of support
- Whether cooperation expands to other Thai military aircraft
- Whether additional contracts are won in the Southeast Asian region
This article reflects facts confirmed on September 2, 2026, based on Korean Air’s official announcement and reports from Yonhap News Agency and YTN. Further details are available from the [official Korean Air newsroom announcement](https://news.koreanair.com/%EB%8C%80%ED%95%9C%ED%95%AD%EA%B3%B5-%ED%83%9C%EA%B5%AD-%EA%B5%AD%EC%98%81-%EB%B0%A9%EC%82%B0%EC%97%85%EC%B2%B4-tai%EC%99%80-%ED%95%AD%EA%B3%B5-mro-%EC%82%AC%EC%97%85-%ED%98%91%EB%A0%A5%ED%82%A4/), [the Yonhap News report](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20260902128600003), and [the YTN report](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0102_202609021625020567).