News
Thailand recruits foreign safety inspectors
December 18th 2015
After the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) last week spared Thai-registered airlines from being banned from European skies, the kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), which will officially replace the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) on January 1, Read More » is likely to hire a British aviation consultancy to help it meet the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO’s) safety requirements, transport minister, Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, has said.
The minister said foreign experts would be hired to carry out inspections in addition to providing training for personnel responsible for procedures for the granting of Air Operator Certificates (AOCs). A lack of staff qualified to grant AOCs to local carriers was among the “serious safety concerns” (“SSCs”) raised by ICAO when it red-flagged Thailand in June.
CAAT director, Chula Sukmanop, said one of the agency's immediate tasks was to expedite the re-issuing of AOCs to 28 Thai carriers operating international services and the renewal of 2,300 pilot licences.
Chula said CAAT would employ 457 staff drawn from former DCA employees, newly-hired senior technicians and newly-hired trainees.
Of the more than 400 DCA staff who applied to be transferred to CAAT, approximately 280 passed the entry exam that would allow them to proceed to the interview phase. As of December 4, Thailand only had 49 of the 86 inspectors it needed to check on passenger jets, according to Preecha Pradabmook, secretary at the government’s new Command Centre for Resolving Civil Aviation Issues.
Long-haul LCCs, NokScoot and Thai AirAsia X (TAAX), are severely impacted by Thailand’s poor safety rating. The ICAO red flag restricts the carriers' entry into Japan and South Korea, destinations at the top of their lists for expansion.
TAAX is banned from new services, increasing frequency on existing routes or changing the type of aircraft used. As a result, the carrier has cancelled Sapporo and curtailed growth at Narita, Kansai and Incheon.
The impact on NokScoot is worse. ICAO red-flagged Thailand before the carrier launched services to Japan and Korea, meaning its market activation there has been put on hold indefinitely.
The Mainland Chinese aviation authorities have been more relaxed about allowing Thai carriers into their airports. TAAX and NokScoot have started China-bound services in recent months, which both carriers said was vital to keep the business going and utilize their fleets effectively.
In separate news, China Southern Airlines will be the latest carrier to add U-Tapao Airport near Pattaya to its route map, from January 8, the Bangkok Post has reported, although no schedule details have been provided. According to the daily, citing U-Tapao Airport sources, Tianjin’s Okay Airways is also looking to serve the airport with “two to three weekly flights from next month”, as well as Emirates Airline from Dubai and Thai Airways International’s (THAI’s) budget hybrid, THAI Smile.
