The Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) says a request from Thai Vietjet to allow foreign pilots to fly domestic routes via a wet lease arrangement is acceptable because it is temporary, but an AirAsia executive is strongly opposed to it.
"I see wet lease arrangements as a win-win situation, as airlines can temporarily increase flight capacity to meet passenger demand whenever they want," said AAT president Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth.
Two months ago, Thai Vietjet held a discussion with the Employment Department, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the Thai Pilots Association, asking for permission for foreign pilots to fly domestic routes via wet lease arrangements for two aircraft.
These contracts cover a combined package of pilots, crew, maintenance and insurance.
As flying domestic routes is reserved for Thai pilots, according to labour laws, the arrangement requires government approval.
Mr Puttipong said the association is not opposed to the plan if the authority agrees to it, as each airline is allowed to manage its own business.
However, the issue in the aviation sector now is an aircraft shortage, not a pilot shortage.
He said dry leasing without a foreign pilot or crew requires airlines to operate with those aircraft for 5-6 years, unlike a wet lease that requires only 3-6 months, allowing more flexibility, and should not impact the pilot job market.
Mr Puttipong, also president of Bangkok Airways, said the airline is also planning to lease two aircraft, Airbus A319s or A320s, via a wet lease arrangement for 4-5 months during this high season, on top of the 23 aircraft in its fleet.
To avoid complications, he said the airline would use those aircraft for international routes, such as to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Luang Prabang.
Next year, Bangkok Airways also plans to take more A319 aircraft into its fleet.
An executive from Thai Vietjet who requested anonymity said the request has not been approved by the Labour Ministry, but the airline hopes to finalise the proposal by the end of this month.
The source said Thai Vietjet's 18-strong fleet might be sufficient for the whole year, but could not meet high demand during this high season.
Additionally, wet leasing is possible as it could easily match such deals with carriers in Europe, where the aircraft utilisation rate is low due to its low season in the winter.
The domestic routes for wet leased aircraft include Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phuket.
As Thai Vietjet is planning to increase its capacity next year, importing pilots for a short period should not impact the pilot job market in the long run.
Tassapon Bijleveld, executive chairman of Asia Aviation, the majority shareholder of Thai AirAsia, said he strongly opposed the idea of allowing foreign pilots to fly domestic flights. He also insisted that this issue has not been raised at the AAT meetings.
However, he said it was airlines' right to implement this measure, but Thai AirAsia does not have a policy to do so.
"It's up to other airlines to do so [permitting foreign pilots to fly domestic flights]. But, personally, I disagree with this idea. Thai AirAsia also won't follow suit," said Mr Tassapon.
On Monday, AAT and CAAT held a Thai Aviation Sustainability Day 2024 forum, joined by over 300 attendees from the aviation and energy sectors.
The CAAT plans to mandate all airlines to use sustainable aviation fuel at 1% of total consumption by 2026.
