THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Govt to hold urgent meeting with airlines

Govt to hold urgent meeting with airlines

Experts don't expect Thai tourism business to be affected by downgrades

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan will today hold an urgent meeting with 41 airlines to ensure that they follow international aviation-safety standards after the downgrade by the US agency.
The airlines are those that have received permission from the Department of Civil Aviation. The meeting will be held at Ban Kesa Komol. 
As part of efforts to improve the country’s aviation-safety measures, the government may review their licences issued by the department, depending on new checks and evaluations.
Thailand has been forced to restructure the aviation authority to meet aviation safety standards after being downgraded by international aviation bodies. 
The US Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to downgrade Thailand’s aviation status over safety concerns on Tuesday followed the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s red flag on safety concerns lifted previously. 
If the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) follows the FAA, Thai-registered airlines operating on routes between Europe and Thailand could be affected, resulting in a sharp drop in tourists visiting Thailand.
The country’s national carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) – which gets 35 per cent of revenue in that region – is likely to be the most affected, according to a brokerage. 
In a bid to fix the problems with the nation’s aviation safety system, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday pleaded for aviation talents to work with the Thai aviation authority after being faced with a shortage of skilled aviation people amid the increasing number of airlines.
He conceded that there were many problems and they had persisted for a long time. Some of the 35 points laid out by the FAA to be tackled could not be dealt with in the short term, as they concerned structural problems.
However, the tourism sector is expected to experience minimal impact if the EASA downgrades Thai aviation safety standards and impedes airlines from expanding their networks into Europe.
“If the EASA downgrades, which is expected to be announced on December 10, that will affect the nation’s good reputation rather than aviation-related businesses,” said Charoen Wangananont, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents. 
He added that travel business would not be affected much from the EASA downgrade, as tourists from Europe would still able to visit Thailand by means of other airlines.
He said THAI would be affected if the national carrier were banned from flying to Europe, hampering THAI from expanding to new destinations or changing aircraft on routes to Europe. 
THAI operates flights to 11 cities in Europe. The region last year contributed 6.1 million or about 25 per cent of total arrivals to Thailand last year. About 30 million tourists are expected this year. 
The Economic Intelligence Centre of Siam Commercial Bank and Kasikorn Research Centre believe that the FAA downgrade will have only a minimal impact on the aviation and related businesses. They also don’t expect a negative impact for THAI even if the EASA downgrades. 
Itiirit Kinglake, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), said the downgrading of Thai aviation would not have a huge impact on the tourism sector. Businesses and traveller numbers are expected to grow in the rest of this year as well as next year.
German’s Lufthansa Group plans to introduce its subsidiary airline, Eurowings, to the Thai market on December 15. The group will provide a business update and outlook for 2016.
Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, minister of tourism and sports, said after a meeting with airline executives yesterday that major airlines, especially THAI, had prepared ahead of the EASA announcement. She said other airlines would work with their alliances in case they face difficulty.
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