THAILAND is facing bans on new international flights and
increased inspections after the International Civil Aviation Organization
flagged significant concerns about the country’s aviation safety, officials
said.
The ICAO’s
designation of Thailand as a “significant safety concern” has not been
announced publicly by the U.N. agency but governments were informed last week.
Kwak Young-pil, an official from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
and Transport, said that the ICAO made the designation on March 20.
Japan has
blocked new flights from Thailand following the ICAO decision and South Korea
is considering similar measures, officials said. Existing flights aren’t
affected.
Among the
airlines forced to cancel flights are budget carriers Thai AirAsia X, NokScoot
and Asia Atlantic Airline, Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation said. Flag
carrier Thai Airways is also affected.
Thai Prime
Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters that he has instructed the country’s
foreign minister to discuss the ban with Japan, and has ordered an urgent
overhaul of the civil aviation department.
The disruptions
come ahead of Thailand’s traditional new year, known as Songkran, a heavy
travel season when airlines typically increase the number of flights. Thailand
is one of the world’s top tourist destinations and its tourism industry is
crucial to the economy, employing millions of people.
Thai
Airways President Jarumporn Chotikasathein said it would have to cancel “about
five” charter flights that were being planned for the April holiday schedule.
He said Thai Airways and other Thai carriers will also have to undergo
increased inspections by regulators from other countries as a result of the
ICAO designation.
Thailand was
audited by the ICAO in January, about a decade after its last assessment in
2005. Audits assess a country’s overall ability to ensure aviation safety.
Among the areas considered are personnel licensing and training, airworthiness
assessment and certification, accident investigation and airline operations
oversight, according to a report by Watson Farley and Williams, an
international law firm with a commercial transport practice.
The ICAO office
in Bangkok referred questions to its headquarters in Montreal, which could not
immediately be reached for comment.
The Thai
ministry’s statement did not give details of the ICAO’s concerns or
recommendations. It said that it planned to inform countries about the status
of Thailand’s aviation safety and “the solutions to fix the faults that were
found in the inspection as soon as possible.”
Japan’s Civil
Aviation Bureau informed Thailand’s civil aviation department by email earlier
this week that it will not allow new charter flights operated by
Thai-registered carriers to fly into Japanese airports.
The Japanese ban
covers any “change of aviation services” and also bars airlines from changing
the type of aircraft normally used on scheduled routes, the Thai civil aviation
department said.
In Tokyo, bureau
spokesman Noriaki Umezawa said the measure was a temporary one issued because
of concerns that the airlines may not fully meet international safety
standards.
South Korean
said it was considering a similar ban.
Kwak, the South
Korean transport official, said it was highly unlikely that new flights would
be approved. NokScoot was planning to start flights to Seoul’s Incheon Airport
in May.
He said flights
currently operating between Thailand and South Korea will not be affected.
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