Omsin tips FAA to upgrade Thai aviation

Omsin tips FAA to upgrade Thai aviation

Cites Arkhom's Line messages as proof

The government figures the US is ready to re-upgrade Thai aviation security to Category 1 within a month, without waiting for an ICAO go-ahead. (Post Today photo)
The government figures the US is ready to re-upgrade Thai aviation security to Category 1 within a month, without waiting for an ICAO go-ahead. (Post Today photo)

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to upgrade Thailand from aviation security Category 2 to Category 1 by next month, according to Deputy Transport Minister Ormsin Chivapruck.

The FAA is not expected to have to wait until the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) lifts its "red flag" for the Thai aviation industry, said Mr Omsin Tuesday.

The ICAO issued the red-flag warning indicating significant safety concerns in June last year following Thailand's failure to meet standards in regulating aviation businesses and granting air operator certificates.

Mr Omsin cited Line messages he had received from Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith who was on a trip to attend an aviation meeting in Canada as evidence of the likely change.

"Mr Arkhom informed the meeting that he wanted Thai Airways International to resume its flights to the US, which is good news. This meeting has been successful and it's expected THAI may begin operating flights to the US in October if it's ready," said Mr Omsin.

At the meeting, Thailand was praised for the progress in its efforts to address aviation matters, he said.

The meeting was attended by the ICAO, the European Union, the FAA, the European Aviation Safety Agency and representatives from Britain, Japan, China and Singapore, he said.

Mr Arkhom had also called on the ICAO and the FAA to supervise Thailand regarding the Universal Security Audit Programme expected to be conducted on the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand late this year or possibly next year, said Mr Ormsin.

As for progress in the work needed to have the ICAO's red flag lifted, he said, Thailand was now working with the ICAO and the CAA International, a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, in preparing for the next audit by the ICAO, said Mr Omsin.

A THAI source said the FAA's signal about the aviation security level upgrade for Thailand comes at the right time as THAI is undertaking a plan to expand its routes which include those to the US.

Currently, a feasibility study is being conducted to gauge the demand for flights between Thailand and the US that THAI may be able to fulfill. THAI was considering resuming flights to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles in the US and choosing Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai or Tokyo as a stopover, said the source.

THAI president Charamporn Jotikasthira, however, has said previously that Los Angeles might be excluded from the US route expansion plan due to the long distances involved. It is not known how that idea has developed since or whether the security level upgrade could change things.

In late October last year, THAI said it would stop operating flights to and from Los Angeles, the only remaining US route at that time, ending THAI's 35-year history of operating Thai-US flights.

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