Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assigned his deputy and Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn to negotiate with his Japanese counterpart to deal with Japan's pre-emptive action to curb air services by Thailand-registered carriers.
The Tokyo civil aviation authority this week banned new charter and scheduled flights operated by Thai-registered airlines to Japan, after questioning the Thai Civil Aviation Department's (CAD) ability to meet international standards on aviation safety.
Gen Prayut said he assigned Gen Tanasak to the job since the CAD seems to lack an ability to negotiate.
The CAD risks a downgrade by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation from Category 1 to Category 2 as result of its recent audit relevant to aviation safety and airline operations.