Brit air safety experts to assist CAAT

Brit air safety experts to assist CAAT

Air safety experts from the UK will arrive next month to provide training for personnel responsible for carrying out air safety inspections and granting Air Operator Certificates (AOCs), the acting director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said.

The Department of Airports director-general, Chula Sukmanop, who serves as the CAAT acting director, said experts from a British aviation consultancy have been hired to help improve oversight of the aviation security system.

They will work with the CAAT to help it meet the aviation safety requirements of the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). 

The CAAT has replaced the now-defunct Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

A lack of qualified staff to issue AOCs to Thai-registered airlines is among the safety concerns raised by the ICAO which issued a "red flag" in June, six months after the country failed to fix its aviation flaws.

Mr Chula said one of the agency's urgent tasks is to expedite re-issuing AOCs to 28 airlines which operate international flights and re-issue 2,300 pilot licences. A total of 41 Thai-registered airlines are required to undergo inspection and certification.

The training is expected to take three months or be completed in April before the inspection and re-issuance of AOCs can start in May, Mr Chula said.

He added that after the training, the CAAT aims to complete inspections and re-issuing the certificates within six months, although it depends on whether personnel will pass the testing.

During the staff training, the CAAT will also step up efforts to address other aviation safety concerns raised by the ICAO.

This includes amending laws relating to the inspections and certifications of the airlines, he said.

Regarding the CAAT's structure, Mr Chula said the agency will next month recruit 315 external staff members, in addition to 197 staff members who have been transferred from the defunct DCA.

On the selection of the new CAAT director, Mr Chula said a selection committee was set up in December last year and it was drawing up qualifications for applicants.

Applications for the post are expected to open in March, he said.

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