Govt to work on aviation standards with airline re-audit
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THE TRANSPORT Ministry will continue to push the Civil Aviation Department to make more effort to comply with global aviation standards, starting with the process of re-auditing and re-licensing all 28 certified airlines in the country from July 11.
On September 9, we will invite the International Civil Aviation Organisation to audit the country’s aviation standards again,” said Transport Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong. The new push came after the ICAO publicly disclosed the aviation-standard ratings of its members worldwide on Thursday. Thailand was deemed as failing to meet a deadline to emerge from under the international agency’s “red flag”.
In February, Thailand was among 13 countries the ICAO flagged for significant safety concerns, meaning there were questions about the ability of the state to oversee airlines under its jurisdiction properly.
Prajin said the authorities would continue working to resolve the problem including amending aviation laws and overhauling the Civil Aviation Department’s management.
“All 28 certified airlines will be entered in a new process of aviation certification and licensing by September before the ICAO’s invitation to return to the country to check on standards,” he said. Prajin said he believed that the ICAO would not take long to re-audit the agency.
Charamporn Chotikasthira, president of Thai Airways International, urged the Civil Aviation Department to solve its problems as soon as possible so airlines could adjust their flights, increase frequencies and create more routes. A source at a low-cost airline said Thailand’s aviation image was damaged as it had failed to meet international safety standards, resulting in lost confidence of travellers in airlines licensed in Thailand.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the panic button should not be hit over the issue. He said Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith had reported that the situation regarding Thailand’s safety status remained the same for now and the ICAO would publicly disclose the results of its assessment of Thailand on its website. “Up until now no country has banned flights from Thailand,” Prayut said.
Again citing Arkhom, Prayut said the ICAO was satisfied that Thailand was making efforts to meet international aviation standards and it would wait and see how that progressed.
“If we have a defect, we will have to concede it and help resolve it in terms of legislation, operations and staffing,” he said.
