The Civil Aviation Department has come under fire by airline and travel professionals for its leniency towards PC Air, which left hundreds of passengers stranded last week at South Korea's biggest airport.
PC Air president Peter Chan with his ladyboy angels at the airline’s first demonstration flight last year.
They are in consensus that the privately owned Thai carrier, billed as the world's first to employ the third gender as cabin attendants, should have its licence suspended immediately due to the incident.
Their reaction followed last Thursday's statement by department director-general Woradej Harnprasert in which he "advised" PC Air to suspend flight operations until its problems are settled.
It also came in light of PC Air's continuation of service between Bangkok and Inchon airport, where some 400 Thai passengers were stranded from Tuesday to Thursday of last week.
These passengers, members of tour groups, were stranded because PC Air's sole aircraft, an Airbus 310-222 with 200 seats, had been refused for takeoff from Inchon since Tuesday.
The refusal was due to a row between PC Air and its Korean sales agent, Skyjet, involving unpaid bills for airport charges and jet fuel, reportedly amounting to more than 10 million baht.
"It [PC Air] should be stopped right away after the untoward Inchon incident," Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), told the Bangkok Post.
An airline professional with 30 years of aviation experience said the incident warrants an immediate suspension of PC Air even before the root cause of the problem is established.
"There is no need to think very much. As long as the issue does not involve force majeure, the airline cannot deny its failures and irresponsibility to passengers," the professional said on condition of anonymity.
Suspending flights is the first step that should be taken, said the professional.
Then Thai civil aviation officials should initiate a strenuous investigation into whether the air operator's licence (AOL) should be cancelled altogether.
It is also important that affected passengers are fairly compensated in accordance with established international practice.
The professional echoed the view of Mr Sisdivachr that the Civil Aviation Department runs the risk of PC Air, which took to the sky barely a year ago, repeating the same mistakes, given that the airline's problems with its South Korean agent may take time to resolve.
"I'm puzzled what government officials are thinking about this incident, especially with those who have already purchased Korean tour packages on board PC Air," said the ATTA's Mr Sisdivachr.
A top executive of another Thailand-registered scheduled airline with international service does not understand why PC Air is left off the hook for a serious mistake that requires penalties.
"The department must have some kind-hearted people," the executive, who has 40 years of industry experience, said with sarcasm.
"If this thing happened in another country, there is no question but that PC Air would be grounded immediately while being made sure it compensated passengers fully in accordance with regulations," the executive, who asked not be named, pointed out.
There are also calls from industry executives for the Civil Aviation Department to take another look at the qualifications of existing AOL holders and whether they are financially, technically and operationally fit to run a commercial airline.
An executive said prerequisites such as required minimum registered capital may need to be toughened and operations more thoroughly audited.
The base of registered capital required for a commercial scheduled airline licence should be increased to 500 million baht from 200 million now and must be ensured that it is actually paid up, said the executive.
The department may not need to look far _ India, for example.
Among other tough conditions, the Indian government requires a startup airline first to operate smoothly domestically for five years before it can apply for a licence for international flights, said a former senior executive of Thai Airways International (THAI).
"Is 200 million baht [in capital] not enough?" the Civil Aviation Department's Mr Woradej asked in response to a question posed by the Bangkok Post, adding that he sees no need to revise conditions for the AOL.
The licence is for five years and subject to renewal annually by the department, which determines whether an airline should remain airborne, said the chief.
Mr Woradej indicated a lack of grounds to suspend PC Air's AOL immediately, an action that could subject the department to being sued by the airline.
Meanwhile, PC Air president Peter Chan confirmed the daily flight between Bangkok and Inchon has continued unabated.
Speaking to the Bangkok Post from the South Korean port city, he said he has not been advised otherwise from the department and will meet its officials this week to discuss the relevant issues.
Mr Peter, a Thai national who formerly worked as a THAI cabin attendant, was in Inchon last week to straighten out the financial problems with Skyjet and ferry the remaining stranded Thai passengers back to Bangkok.
The ATTA's Mr Sisdivachr urged tourists and tour operators to take a hard look at the quality and capability of the airline involved when booking tour packages.
"If they offer incredibly low prices, then you should be suspicious," he said.
The package tour on board PC Air is less than 20,000 baht.