RTAF defends budget to renovate restroom on VVIP plane
Matichon newspaper reported that the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) said the Bt54-million budget for renovating a restroom on a VVIP plane is “reasonable”.
The publication claims its source revealed on Wednesday that the listed Bt54.43-million budget on the Directorate of Aeronautical Engineering’s website to renovate a restroom on the A340-500 aircraft carrying serial number HS-TYV, which is used to transport very, very important persons, is reasonable and in the normal range of the market price.
The clarification came after the website document was widely shared over the Internet and netizens criticised the high cost, saying the renovation is unnecessarily expensive.
“People can check and compare the price on any plane modification website,” the source said. “Please understand that renovating a plane’s restroom is different from that of a residence. It will require redesigning and reinstalling of the piping system, which involves expensive German engineering techniques,” the source explained.
The source added that the RTAF bought the plane from Thai Airways International and it has already undergone a general renovation, which included the replacement of passenger seats.