Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Transport Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) to expedite efforts to improve aviation safety and achieve solid results within six months.
Meanwhile, procedures for air safety inspections and the recertification of pilots and airlines will begin next month and are expected to be completed within six months.
The move came after Arun Mishra, the regional director of the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), met the prime minister on Friday to discuss aviation safety concerns raised by the ICAO.
Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said after the meeting that the regional director urged the government to address "significant safety concerns" as quickly as possible to encourage the ICAO to lift the "red-flag" tag.
If Thailand succeeds in addressing its aviation safety problems and upgrading the industry, it will help promote tourism in the Asia-Pacific by encouraging airlines to establish links with the country's aviation industry, Mr Arkhom quoted Mr Mishra as saying.
"Mr Mishra said Thailand's aviation industry is important not only to Asean, but also to the Asia-Pacific region. Its success will help boost the tourism industry as well as economies in the region," Mr Arkhom said.
The ICAO's regional director praised Gen Prayut for having the political will to tackle the country's aviation safety woes, the transport minister said.
Gen Prayut told the director that the government was committed to improving aviation safety by laying down policies and devising guidelines for action plans, as well as allocating budgets to support its efforts.
Setting up the CAAT, which has replaced the now-defunct Department of Civil Aviation, is part of a push to improve the country's aviation safety record to meet international standards, Mr Arkhom quoted the prime minister as saying.
The ICAO issued a "red flag", indicating significant safety concerns (SSC), in June last year for Thailand's failure to meet its standards in regulating aviation businesses and granting air operator certificates within a 90-day deadline.
Mr Arkhom admitted that it is unclear when Thailand will be able to fully solve its aviation problems because the country has to meet "100%" of the ICAO's aviation safety requirements.
Therefore, Thailand must be sure that it can overcome the problems in civil aviation before it can ask the ICAO to carry out a re-audit and assessment, he said.
Mr Arkhom said Gen Prayut has instructed the Transport Ministry and the CAAT to improve aviation safety and stressed that they must come up with tangible results within six months, Mr Arkhom added.
During the next six months, the CAAT will carry out air safety inspections, assessments, and re-issue Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) to 28 Thai-registered airlines which operate international flights, as well as re-issue pilot licences in order to comply with the updated aviation safety guideline manuals.
Improved manuals -- the Flight Operating Inspector Manual and Air Operating Certification Requirement -- were made based on the ICAO's recommendation that Thailand carry out recertifications of pilots and airlines.
The inspection and recertification procedure will begin next month and is expected to be completed within six months, Mr Arkhom said.
A total of 17 personnel responsible for the inspection and recertification of AOCs are now receiving training in Singapore and will complete their training session this month.
Of the 17, some were drawn from the air force. They will help with the CAAT's inspection temporarily for two years, while others were pilots who have resigned from Thai Airways International (THAI) to work as flight operation inspectors at the CAAT, Mr Arkhom said.
They were required to quit their jobs at THAI before working as CAAT inspectors in order to prevent any conflict of interest, Mr Arkhom added.
He said Thailand has set a target to produce at least 30 flight operation inspectors within five years.
The minister also said experts from a British aviation consultancy had been hired to help improve oversight of Thailand's aviation security system.
The ICAO has also sent eight experts to work with Thai authorities to help the country meet the ICAO's aviation safety requirements.
Ex-THAI managing director Alongkot Poolsuk was last month appointed director of the CAAT.