The proposed restructuring of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is expected to go before the cabinet for review tomorrow, said a senior transport official.
Deputy permanent secretary Woradech Harnprasert said the restructuring plan was drafted in line with advice given by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to address safety concerns.
Under the plan, the DCA, which regulates aviation businesses and grants Air Operator Certificates (AOC), will be divided into four units: two of them will be responsible for airline and airport operations while the other two will deal with air accidents and search and rescue operations.
The first two are the Office of Thai Civil Aviation, responsible for overseeing the airline industry and airports; and the Department of Airports, in charge of managing the 28 DCA-run airports. The civil aviation office will report to the Prime Minister's Office and the Department of Airports comes under the Transport Ministry.
As for aviation safety, one agency will be in charge of accident probes and the other responsible for performing search and rescue operations. Both will come under the Transport Ministry.
Mr Woradech said a bill on aviation is also likely to be sent to cabinet today, after being reviewed by Transport Minister Prajin Juntong.
He said the Transport Ministry expects the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief to exercise his Section 44 powers under the interim charter to push for speedy enforcement of the law.
The DCA is preparing for checks by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on July 13-19, he said.