ICAO to announce its decision on Thailand's safety plan today
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THE International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is expected to give Thailand another four months to implement measures to improve its aviation safety standards in an announcement today.
Transport Minister ACM Prajin Juntong said the ICAO may or may not endorse Thailand’s action plan from recent months to lift safety standards – or it could extend the timeline.
Thailand submitted its plan to overhaul aviation safety standards to the ICAO in April – two months after the agency expressed serious concerns on safety issues involving five airlines registered here.
So far, the Department of Civil Aviation has been restructured with two new offices set up to improve overall licensing and regulatory work for airlines registered in Thailand, while a new director-general for the department has been appointed to speed up the work.
Charamporn Jotikasthira, president of Thai Airways International, said the national flag carrier was not affected by the safety issue because it fully meets international standards and can operate anywhere.
Ittirit Kinglake, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), said if the ICAO rejects Thailand’s action plan, there will be a negative impact on the travel industry, as foreigners would be worried about the safety of Thai-registered airlines.
The TCT and its allies, including the Association of Thai Travel Agents and Thai Hotels Association, have called on the government |to solve the issue as soon as possible.
Chanin Donavanik, managing director and chief executive officer of Dusit International, said the government should focus on suspending the licences of airlines that do not meet safety standards.
