Thailand and Israel have signed a Protocol of Amendments to the Agreement on Air Services, which was signed by the two governments back in 1968, upgrading the level of cooperation between both sides in the domain of aviation.
The signing ceremony was held in Jerusalem on Thursday. The two signatories in the ceremony were Israel's foreign minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, and the Thai ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya.
The amendment updates the cooperation so that the aviation rights and services are in line with current laws, and enables the expansion of both countries' airlines services and networks. It will benefit the people travelling as well as both countries' trade and tourism, the Royal Thai embassy in Tel Aviv said.
Israel's ambassador in Thailand, Meir Shlomo, said: "The amendments we signed today [Thursday] reflect the mutual goodwill to increase aviation safety and standards. Tourism is a strong domain of people-to-people exchange. Despite the temporary suspension of travel across the globe, I strongly believe that hundreds of thousands of Israelis are planning to visit Thailand once the global situation improves."
Thailand is the second most popular tourist destination among Israelis, and Israeli tourists are a permanent part of the sustainable tourism industry of Thailand. Around 200,000 Israeli tourists visit Thailand every year, and these numbers are growing steadily, he said.
The amendments are in line with the close cooperation in the field of aviation between both countries and update the agreement in accordance with international standards. The new amendments will enable an increase in the frequency of flights; the strengthening of competition in the aviation market; the establishment of safety conditions; and the creation of a civil aviation security mechanism, to deal with hijackings, violence or illegal activities, the ambassador said.