DCA: Charter airlines' own woes, not Japanese delay, cancelled flights

DCA: Charter airlines' own woes, not Japanese delay, cancelled flights

Asian Air's pilots too tired, NokScoot's plane late

Several hundred passengers could not board their chartered flights to Japan at Don Mueang airprt Saturday due to  mistakes by the carriers Asian Air and NokScoot, according to the Department of Civil Aviation. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiartpakun)
Several hundred passengers could not board their chartered flights to Japan at Don Mueang airprt Saturday due to mistakes by the carriers Asian Air and NokScoot, according to the Department of Civil Aviation. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiartpakun)

Two Thai charter airlines already under the microscope for safety concerns cancelled overseas flights Saturday because of their own operational failings, not because Japan didn’t approve them.

Asian Air and NokScoot stranded 600 passengers when they respectively cancelled flights to Sapporo and Tokyo. The carriers initially blamed delays in approving the flights by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.

However, Department of Civil Aviation director-general Somchai Phiphutthawat said Monday that the flights were called off because the carriers either didn't have an aircraft available or could not meet International Civil Aviation Organization standards for pilot service time.

"On April 4 and 5, officials from the department conducted regular checks on the standards of Asian Air and found that the flight hours of some pilots and co-pilots breached safety standards, as they had not enough rest time," Mr Somchai said. "Pilots flew continuously without a break and that was considered highly dangerous."

He said Asian Air could not find replacement pilots in time for the Saturday flight from Bangkok to Sapporo.

Meanwhile, NokScoot could not get its plane and crew to Bangkok in time for its flight to Tokyo's Narita airport. NokScoot, a venture between Thailand's Nok Air and Singapore's Scoot Pte, planned to deploy a plane from its parent's home base at Changi International Airport, but could not do so in time.

The widely reported incidents greatly impacted passengers and travel agents and further dampened confidence Thailand's beleaguered aviation system.

In response, authorities held an urgent meeting on Monday with representatives from Thai-registered airlines operating to Japan, Mr Somchai said. Present were executives from NokScoot, Asian Air, AirAsia X, Thai Airways International, Jet Asia Airways and Asia Atlantic Airlines.

Mr Somchai said that the airlines were told to prepare their flights better to prevent future cancellations. If they failed to do so, the DCA would suspend or even terminate their licences, he said. His department is also considering imposing fines for such failures.

Mr Somchai dismissed concerns by THAI executives that its flights could be delayed overseas because foreign authorities might have to check their planes thoroughly due to the DCA's failure to meet the ICAO's standards for air-transport certification.

Mr Somchai said that if THAI services were already of internationally recognised quality, such checks would finish quickly and could be completed within the normal gate time of 90 minutes.

Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said that the six airlines could operate flights to Japan smoothly from now until May 31 due to an agreement from Japan.

In the meeting on Monday, he asked the airlines to delay ticket sales for services to Japan after May 31 until the DCA and the government solve the ICAO's concerns.

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