Pilot qualification eased to help airlines

Pilot qualification eased to help airlines

Royal Thai Air Force pilots give a thumbs-up as they take delivery of a Gripen fighter. After 200 hours total flight time for the air force, military members will be eligible to fly civilian aircraft. Previous rules required 1,500 hours of experience. (Photo via Gripenblog.com)
Royal Thai Air Force pilots give a thumbs-up as they take delivery of a Gripen fighter. After 200 hours total flight time for the air force, military members will be eligible to fly civilian aircraft. Previous rules required 1,500 hours of experience. (Photo via Gripenblog.com)

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand's (CAAT) board has agreed to revise the criteria for military pilots looking to make a switch to commercial airlines, said CAAT's director Chula Sukmanop.

He said military pilots and those who fly for state-run agencies will be required under the new rules to complete 200 hours of flying commercial transport planes to obtain a licence to fly commercial airliners.

The current rule requires that applicants seeking to fly for a commercial airliner clock have logbooks with 1,500 hours.

Mr Chula said dozens of military and police pilots as well as those in other agencies quit every year to join the ranks of commercial pilots, with the existing rules causing headaches for them as they make the change.

"This is to help address the problem for those who want to switch to the private sector. The [new] criteria have been set," he said.

Mr Chula said concerns about possible brain drain have been taken into consideration when approving the new criteria, adding large commercial airlines currently do not face a serious shortage of pilots because they have the management systems to match the pilots with the number of aircraft.

But the small airliners could face problems as they cannot poach pilots from other airlines.

Mr Chula said the board has also decided to repeal two announcements concerning criteria for designation of flight routes, both domestic and international, replacing them with a new announcement for greater efficiency.

The new announcement, expected to be enforced within a month, involves regulations and criteria that airlines holding Air Operating Licences to follow when seeking to operate domestic and international routes.

The CAAT's board has also relaxed the existing regulations involving medical certificates that student pilots need to acquire to commence training.

The current rules require student pilots to obtain a First Class medical certificate, which has the most restrictive medical standards.

This requirement has been viewed as too rigid.

He said the new rules would require students to only obtain Second Class medical certificates, which are less restrictive.

Mr Chula said parents and students must be informed of the changes and accept them to avoid any future disputes.

Thailand faces a shortage of commercial pilots as the country has become a popular destination for international airliners.

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