Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong wants Section 44 used to allow Thai Airways and government agencies to rehire pilots and other aviation personnel forced into compulsory retirement at 60, to overcome a growing shortage of trained people.
ACM Prajin said he proposed that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as chairman of the National Council for Peace and Order, to invoke Section 44 of the interim constitution to allow retired, qualified people to be rehired by government agencies and state enterprises involved with aviation for a set period.
An alternative was for the cabinet to issue an executive decree for the same purpose.
He said this would address the problem of a lack of qualified airline captains and pilots, flight engineers, ground crew, pilots for specialised aircraft, and pilot instructors.
These personnnel were needed by Thai Airways International, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and the International Aviation College in Nakhon Phanom province.
"Thailand is currently in need of aviation personnel. About 900 are needed this year -- 272 pilots and 643 others including flight engineers and ground and flight staff -- but only about 400 are available. Next year, various airlines will want 350 more personnel, including 150 captains and pilots for specific types of aircraft. It takes four to ten years to train pilots and captains."
At the same time, the aviation industry continued to grow, he said. The number of domestic flights jumped to 190,000 in 2016 from 120,000 in 2007. The number of international flights rose to 350,000 in 2016 from 200,000 in 2007.
In the next 20 years, the number of air passengers worldwide was expected to increase by 4.7% every year. In the Asia-Pacific region, the number of passengers was likely to grow by 5.7% a year.
By 2020, the number of domestic passengers was likely to rise to 200 million, an increase of nearly 40% from the current 125-160 million passengers a year, said ACM Prajin.
Chula Sukmanop, director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, said the proposal to re-hire retired flight deck crew and others would be forwarded to the cabinet.
If it were agreed to, regulations would be amended to permit the rehiring of retired pilots and others to work for government agencies and state enterprises for three years, or until they are 63 years old, although a pilot could usually work until 65.
The invocation of Section 44 would expedite this measure, he said.
Sanong Mingcharoen, president of the Thai Pilots Association, said the increase in aviation personnel in the future must place more stress on quality than quantity, because air accidents had been more frequent during the past two years.
Any problems with quality of training would affect the image of Thai pilots working abroad and the standard of aviation licences issued to them, he said.