Burrows said many pilots were furloughed or retired during Covid.
“We’re now in the boom again,” he said today.
The single-engine, fully aerobatic, piston-engine aircraft was designed in 1972. The CT-4 still has the same airframe and structure, but new models have updated technology.
“We’ve got in-cockpit cameras that are very small and capable of streaming data back to base.”
The Hamilton-made aircraft have a unit price of about US$1.8 million ($3.02m).
“We’ve definitely got a competitive aircraft.”
Burrows said major export markets would likely be Southeast Asia and Australia initially, then Europe.
The Airtrainer could be used for both military and civilian pilot training.
Further details on the new agreement are expected this afternoon.
It is expected to broaden aviation co-operation between New Zealand and Thailand across areas including maintenance expertise, personnel development and training, technical support, and long-term planning for spare parts and engines.
The NZAero CT-4 Airtrainer aircraft, made in Hamilton. The Kiwi company is now eyeing up export markets as demand for pilot training grows. Photo / NZAero
NZAero has already begun building five new CT-4s and said the agreement could generate tens of millions of dollars in export revenue over the next three years.
Burrows said a combination of expanding pilot demand, a limited number of competing aircraft, and new technology in the CT-4 created a chance for the Kiwi company to secure international market share.
NZAero said the Royal Thai Air Force currently operated 25 CT-4 aircraft, including 19 CT-4Es which the company was in discussions to modernise.
NZAero said about 70 New Zealand-manufactured aircraft had been exported to Thailand over the decades.
The Hamilton-based company also makes the SuperPac 750XL-II, designed for extremely short takeoff and landing. The five-seater E-350 is also in production.
NZAero said Southeast Asia alone was forecast to require around 62,000 new commercial pilots by 2044.
Burrows said that would increase demand for specialist training aircraft needed to develop pilots before they moved to more sophisticated platforms.
The company was also investigating partnerships with NZ technology firms to incorporate AI analysis of flight and cockpit data into a new-generation pilot training system.
The CT-4 Airtrainer aircraft is a fully acrobatic piston-engined aircraft. Photo / NZAero
Burrows previously told the Herald NZAero made its aircraft almost entirely in-house, from hand-shaping metal parts to the final paint job.
Private investors acquired it in 2021 after the company, then called Pacific Aerospace, entered liquidation.
The company originated with a desire the Government had in the post-war era to build viable agricultural aviation aircraft.
The Thai PM was today expected to witness demonstrations of the CT-4 Airtrainer and 750XL, as well as a showcase of the E-350 Expedition.
The Waikato-based company hopes to start making more aircraft for export. Photo / NZAero
Luxon said the agreement reflected the growing depth of New Zealand’s relationship with Thailand and the opportunities for Kiwi exporters.
“New Zealand has world-class advanced manufacturing and aerospace capability, and this is exactly the kind of high-value sector where we want to see Kiwi businesses competing and succeeding internationally,” he said.
The two countries are marking 70 years of diplomatic ties.
Luxon and Charnvirakul formally launched the broader New Zealand-Thailand Strategic Partnership in Auckland earlier today.
The leaders said they wanted to triple two-way trade to $13.5 billion by 2045.
Both countries said they would support efforts to resume direct flights.
Luxon’s office said both leaders welcomed Thai Airways’ planned resumption of direct flights “in the coming year” but it was still not clear exactly when Bangkok-Auckland flights will return.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation. He previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
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