The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) faces growing concerns over its ability to monitor aviation safety standards after a probe by the state auditor found the agency has improperly granted licences to a commercial aviation firm.
The concern came to light after the Office of the Auditor-General received a complaint from a private aviation operator for issuing an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) as well as commercial aviation and personnel licences to United Offshore Aviation, a helicopter transport firm, in defiance of regulations.
The complaint was filed in December 2014 with the findings released earlier this month.
The state auditor suspected corruption by officials responsible for licencing, and referred the matter to the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).
DCA chief Somchai Phiphutthawat said he was waiting for the PACC inquiry results, and vowed tough penalties against the officials if the graft allegations prove true.
He added the complaint was made by a firm that lost its bid for a helicopter transport contract. He insisted DCA officials had followed strict guidelines.
The department chief added that negative publicity generated by the complaint should not be confused with a recent visit made by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
The ICAO's Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), which promotes global aviation safety by auditing ICAO member states, earlier sent staff to audit the department.
The results of the inspection, which are yet to be announced, could put the DCA's reputation on the line.
A DCA former senior executive, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the department has suffered a shortage of personnel for years.
The problem has been compounded in recent years with the rapid expansion of the aviation industry with new airlines entering the market, he said.
Because of the shortage, those responsible for accrediting aviation safety standards and issuing licences may not have met the stringent criteria for qualifications imposed by the ICAO, he said.
The staff shortage has resulted in delayed inspections. More worryingly, officials who are unqualified to examine the airworthiness of specific models of aircraft have been given the licensing task.
The DCA has dealt with this by hiring experienced technicians who worked with similar types of aircraft.
Former pilots were also employed to help with the department's certification of commercial airline pilots.
Nevertheless, certain procedures may also have been side-stepped, including the ones undertaken by officials responsible for air emergency investigation.
While some of the department's rules are consistent with the ICAO's recommendations, its inspectors have faced complaints of bias against certain aircraft operators during inspections. Judgement is exercised arbitrarily, the complaint said.
Though the DCA has taken measures to invest in the training of its own inspection staff, a high turnover of staff leaving for private firms offering higher salaries remains a key issue.
The DCA proposed to spin off its licence granting and licensee accreditation functions into a separate unit to remove bureaucratic controls and give it the freedom to train and take on inspection staff at more competitive rates.
The proposal is still awaiting the green light from government.
A decade ago, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded the DCA due to the department's lack of experienced technicians to carry out safety inspection of Boeing 747 jumbo jets.
It took more than eight months before the FAA decided to restore the DCA's status.
An aviation expert said the result of the USOAP inspection of the department is expected shortly.
The ICAO might question the DCA about its practices for inspecting the commercial delivery of dangerous freight, as well as its licensing for special aviation operations and procedures for granting Air Operators Certificates.
If the ICAO deems the practices problematic, the department must fix the problem immediately, or the consequences could be severe, said the expert.
Some fear these might include a ban on Thai-registered commercial airlines inspected by the DCA from flying to certain countries.
The focal point of concern is United States-bound flights.
If the FAA steps in to examine the DCA's performance, it might mean tougher regulations for US-bound flights flown by DCA-inspected airlines.
