The country's aviation industry is expected to make a significant recovery and return to the pre-pandemic level this year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT).
CAAT director Suttipong Kongpool said the aviation sector is projected to see a surge of at least 25 million passengers this year, bringing Thailand back to the pre-pandemic 2019 level.
Initially, the aviation industry expected a full recovery by 2024, but it fell short of expectations due to the slow return of Chinese visitors, he said, adding this was due to a number of factors, including economic conditions in China.
Based on the CAAT figures, in 2019, Thailand saw a total of 165 million passengers for both inbound and outbound flights of both domestic and international routes, while in 2024, the industry recorded 140 million passengers. This marked a recovery rate of 85.14% of the pre-pandemic level.
Mr Suttipong said the growth has also been affected by shortages of aircraft, and airlines have opted to lease aircraft to alleviate the problem.
To help alleviate the situation, the Transport Ministry has relaxed the regulations for six months, during which airlines are allowed to lease aircraft with crew, he noted.
The CAAT director said concerned parties need to speed up efforts to meet growing air travel demand as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects the Thai aviation sector to expand and rise to the 9th position by 2033.
Currently, Thai aviation ranks the 19th largest in the world.
IATA's projection shows a promising outlook for the country as an aviation hub, and the efforts needed include enhancing services, maintaining safety standards, and completing infrastructure projects, he said. Mr Suttipong also provided an update on the CAAT's operations.
In 2024, the CAAT issued operation certificates for four public airports, granted Air Operating Licences (AOLs) to three companies, renewed AOLs for five companies, and issued Air Operator Certificates (AOC) to four companies.
The agency also resolved the issue of high airfare prices by adding over 70,000 seats through special flights during the New Year holiday, which made airfares lower compared to the same period the year before.
According to Mr Suttipong, preparations have been made to regain the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 (CAT 1) certification after Thailand was downgraded to Category 2 (CAT 2) in December 2015.
The downgrade followed a reassessment by the FAA, citing non-compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
He said the new status would allow Thai airlines to operate direct flights to the US and to increase their flight frequencies to destinations such as South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong, which use FAA assessments.
