Thai authorities say they will invoke special powers to 'urgently' improve airline safety
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 01 April, 2015, 3:53am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 01 April, 2015, 3:53am
Agence France-Presse in Bangkok
Thailand said it urgently needed to improve airline safety procedures as several carriers face bans on new international flights after a UN aviation agency raised concerns. Flag carrier Thai Airways said that two charter flights scheduled to depart for Japan next month had been affected by a report by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations world aviation body. Photo: AFP
Thai authorities said they would use special powers under military junta rule to "urgently" improve airline safety as several carriers face bans on new international flights following concerns raised by a UN aviation agency.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a United Nations body, recently reported "significant safety concerns" to Thailand's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) after an audit earlier in the year.
In response Japan last week blocked new flights from Thailand in a move affecting charter services by budget carriers Thai AirAsia X and NokScoot as well as Asia Atlantic Airlines, the DCA said, adding existing flights would not be affected.
Flag carrier Thai Airways has also been hit, saying in a statement on its Facebook page on Saturday that two charter flights scheduled for Japan next month had been affected.
At a press conference on Monday junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters he would the interim constitution - imposed after he seized power from an elected government last May and which gives him absolute powers over legislative, executive and judicial decisions - to expedite safety improvements.
"We have to accept that we are losing revenue from this, I am serious about solving the problem," he said.
In what appears to be a growing fallout from the ICAO decision a transport ministry official, deputy permanent secretary Voradej Harnprasert, told reporters that airlines including Thai Airways and Nok Air may also face a potential ban on new flights from Seoul and Beijing.
