Aviation safety moved into the spotlight since late last year, following the fatal crash of a Jeju Air flight in South Korea.
The incident involved a Boeing 737-800, one of the world's most popular narrow-body jets, sending shockwaves through the industry and contributing to a decline in Boeing's stock price.
In response, South Korea's Transport Ministry ordered a comprehensive inspection of all 737-800 aircraft operated by domestic carriers. The inspection focused on critical components, including landing gear, engines and maintenance records.
The accident also raised concerns about Thailand's aviation safety standards, particularly as the fatal Jeju Air jet departed from Bangkok.
Q: What are Thailand's aviation safety standards?
Sarun Benjanirat, deputy director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), said aviation is a cross-border industry that involves different global stakeholders, meaning shared safety practices are an industry priority.
The Chicago Convention was signed in 1944 to set up the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to regulate the principles of international air navigation and transport.
All nations adopted ICAO's standards and formulated their own laws to regulate their aviation industries.
In Thailand, the Air Navigation Act was created in 1954, based on ICAO's safety standards, and has been amended 14 times, with CAAT the regulator.
Mr Sarun said all Thai airlines are required to comply with the Air Navigation Act to operate their services with air operator certificates.
CAAT employees are responsible for conducting regular inspections of every aviation-related component, whether aircraft, airlines, airports or aeronautical radio.
Q: How do Thai Airlines maintain their operational standards?
In addition to CAAT regulations, Mr Sarun said some airlines in Thailand have been accredited for additional standards, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s Operational Safety Audit known as IOSA.
The programme evaluates the operational management and control systems, as members of IATA must be accredited with IOSA to maintain their membership.
Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, head of commercial at Thai Lion Air, said the airline was the first Thai low-cost carrier to be audited for IOSA, with the accreditation renewed every two years.
According to IATA, global aviation in 2023 recorded an accident rate of 0.80 per million sector, or one accident per 1.26 million flights, improving from 1.30 in 2022 -- the lowest rate in a decade. The fatality risk also improved from 0.11 in 2022 to 0.03 in 2023.
IATA's member airlines and IOSA's registered airlines did not record any fatal accidents in 2023.
According to IATA, aviation remains the safest mode of transport compared with roads, rail and sea.
In Thailand, Mr Sarun said the biggest aviation accident the past few years was in 2022 when Nok Air's Boeing 737-800 slid off the runway at Chiang Rai airport. No passengers were injured or killed during this incident.
Q: How did the red flag in 2015 impact the industry?
One of the most significant shifts for Thai aviation was when the country was given a red flag by the ICAO in 2015.
ICAO found 572 flaws in its examination of the safety standards in Thailand, with 33 classified as significant safety concerns. Civil aviation during that period was regulated by the Department of Civil Aviation.
He said although no fatal accidents occurred in Thailand, the documentation process did not meet ICAO standards.
After the incident, Thailand restructured its aviation body by closing the department and replacing it with CAAT -- a public organisation that regulates safety and civil aviation.
Other responsibilities were transferred to different organisations, such as airport management to the Department of Airports, while aviation accidents are supervised by the permanent transport secretary.
Mr Sarun said similar issues led the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to downgrade Thailand's status to Category II, which banned Thai carriers from operating flights to the US.
After fixing these issues, the ICAO's red flag was lifted in 2017, while the FAA is expected to upgrade Thailand back to Category I, the highest standard, by February or March this year, he said.
Q: Will CAAT conduct a full inspection of Boeing 737-800 jets?
Despite concerns over aircraft safety, Mr Sarun said there was no need for Thailand to launch a full inspection of Boeing 737-800 jets as South Korea did.
He said the inspection occurred because South Korea's Jeju Air experienced two consecutive incidents involving the same type of aircraft in a few days.
Mr Sarun said the Boeing 737-800 is among the world's most popular aircraft, with more than 3,000 operated globally. No other aviation authority launched such an inspection, apart from South Korea.
CAAT regularly conducts operational inspections of Thai airlines. More frequent inspections would be needed if airlines reported more incidents than usual, he said.
Mr Sarun said the authority monitors any airline incidents, offering a platform for airlines to submit and share necessary information, including about bird strikes.
Mrs Nuntaporn said while Thai Lion Air's fleet includes Boeing 737-800s, its post-incident bookings were not affected.
She said the airline complies with both CAAT and IOSA's safety standards, performing regular audits and technical check-ups as required.
The airline has its own maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in Batam, Indonesia, as part of Indonesia-based Lion Group, where aircraft receive check-ups after operating for 15,000-16,000 hours.
Thai Lion Air also maintains a suitable aircraft utilisation rate of 10-11 hours per day, while pilots work 70-80 hours per month, said Mrs Nuntaporn.
Regarding concerns over runway length to accommodate jets, Mr Sarun said airport developers should perform studies of sites to determine a suitable scale for runways based on aircraft specifications and the landing environment.
For instance, Betong airport can only accommodate small planes and turboprops, as it is surrounded by mountains and valleys.
Q: Will there be further amendments of regulations?
The Air Navigation Act was last revised in 2019, but as the aviation industry evolves rapidly, regulations must be revised and professionals must receive training to keep up with the latest developments, said Mr Sarun.
For instance, he said drones or unmanned aerial vehicles will be launched as passenger taxis in the future, expanding their scope of use from aerial video and geographic exploration.
Mr Sarun said CAAT hopes Thailand can become a leader in drone technology, prompting the authority to revise regulations.
After more cases of air turbulence due to climate change, including a Singapore Airlines flight last year, IATA is promoting its turbulence data-sharing platform.
Airlines are encouraged to join the system to share real-time flight data and accurate turbulence reports.
