Minister Phiphat has ordered the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport to expedite the recruitment of the Director-General of the Department of Highways and Level C10 senior inspectors, and has approved the appointment of Mekhin Phetplai as the new CEO of the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, with the contract expected to be signed by October 2026 after a delay of more than one year.
Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Transport, revealed updates on the recruitment of senior executives under the Ministry of Transport, both in government agencies and state enterprises. After Mr. Piyapong Jiwattanakulpaisan took office as the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, he was assigned to accelerate the appointment and recruitment of vacant senior executive positions, such as the Director-General of the Department of Highways and senior inspectors of the Ministry of Transport, to prevent obstacles or disruption to agency operations.
This acceleration aims to fill vacant senior management positions so that work processes can proceed continuously in accordance with official procedures and regulations.
Regarding the progress in recruiting the CEO of Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI), Minister Phiphat confirmed that he has considered and has no objection to appointing Mekhin Phetplai, former CEO of Voice TV Company Limited, who was selected by AEROTHAI’s board earlier despite concerns raised by some parties about his connections to the Pheu Thai Party.
Minister Phiphat said he personally invited Mekhin to discuss and hear his vision, finding him knowledgeable and capable of collaboration. Therefore, he ordered the acceleration of negotiations on remuneration to complete the contract signing as CEO of AEROTHAI by October 2026.
The CEO recruitment process began to find a replacement for Napasit Chakrapitak, whose term ended on 30 March 2025. Two candidates presented their visions: Mekhin Phetplai, former CEO of Voice TV Company Limited, and Montri Sukonthaman, Deputy CEO of AEROTHAI. In the final step, AEROTHAI’s board approved Mekhin’s selection in late 2025.
However, due to the government transition and complaints regarding the recruitment process and candidate qualifications, the approval and contract signing process stalled for nearly one year, until discussions and confirmations within the current government resumed.
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