Countries Ban New Flights from Thailand Re Safety Concerns

[fountainhall]

The New York Times is quoting Associated Press in an article in yesterday's paper headed, "Airlines in Thailand Face Bans Over Safety Concerns".

BANGKOK тАФ ThailandтАЩs airlines are facing bans on new international flights and more inspections after the International Civil Aviation Organization flagged significant concerns about the countryтАЩs aviation safety, officials said on Friday.

The designation of Thailand as a тАЬsignificant safety concernтАЭ has not been announced publicly by the aviation group, a United Nations agency, but governments were informed last week.

Japan has blocked new flights from Thailand since the decision, and South Korea is considering similar measures, officials said. Existing flights are not affected . . .

Among the airlines forced to cancel flights are the low-cost carriers Thai AirAsia X, NokScoot and Asia Atlantic Airline, ThailandтАЩs Department of Civil Aviation said in a statement. The flagship carrier, Thai Airways, is also affected . . .

Jarumporn Chotikasathein, the president of Thai Airways, said the airline would have to cancel тАЬabout fiveтАЭ charter flights planned for the April holiday schedule. He said his airline and other Thai carriers would also undergo increased inspections by regulators from other countries as a result of the groupтАЩs designation . . .

The Thai ministry did not give details of the groupтАЩs concerns or recommendations, but said it planned to inform countries about the status of ThailandтАЩs aviation safety and тАЬthe solutions to fix the faults that were found in the inspection as soon as possible.тАЭ

Thailand was audited by the group in January; its previous assessment was in 2005. The aviation groupтАЩs office in Bangkok referred questions to its headquarters in Montreal, which could not immediately be reached for comment. Kwak Young-pil, an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in South Korea, said on Friday that the United Nations group made the designation on March 20.

Audits assess a countryтАЩs ability to ensure aviation safety in areas like staff licensing and training, airworthiness, and accident investigation, according to a report by Watson Farley & Williams, an international law firm with a commercial transportation practice.

The Civil Aviation Bureau of Japan informed its Thai counterpart by email this week that it would not allow new charter flights operated by carriers registered in Thailand to fly to Japanese airports. Noriaki Umezawa, a spokesman for the bureau, said the temporary measure was issued because of concerns that the airlines may not meet international safety standards.

The Japanese ban covers any тАЬchange of aviation services,тАЭ the Thai civil aviation department said, and also bars airlines from changing the type of aircraft normally used on scheduled routes.

South Korea said it was considering a similar ban. Mr. Kwak, the transportation official, said it was highly unlikely that new flights would be approved. NokScoot had been planning to start flights to SeoulтАЩs main airport, Incheon, in May. Mr. Kwak said flights currently operating between Thailand and South Korea would not be affected.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/bu ... rrer=&_r=0

I had seen a similar article in the Bangkok Post yesterday. The fact that an extensive article appears in international media will surely have a major negative effect on Thai carriers. Nok Scoot's charter flights can not now fly to Japan as planned from May 16 affecting holders of 20,000 tickets already sold. Thai Air Asia's plans to operate daily services to Tokyo and Sapporo are also suspended.

Industry executives said the department was able to meet only 21 out of 100 requirements imposed by the ICAO. The department has been struggling to meet ICAO compliance under a 90-day grace period as he global aviation community has begun to cast a suspicious eye towards Thailand, another executive said.

An ICAO downgrade would not have an immediate effect on Thai airlines, but it could lead US and EU aviation safety authorities to review Thailand's aviation safety standards, Alan Polivnick of international law firm Watson Farley & Williams (Thailand) told the Bangkok Post.

"If the US Federal Aviation Administration downgrades Thailand to Category 2, Thai Airways could continue its flights to Los Angeles but could not add new US destinations or change the aircraft used on this route," he said.

Mr Polivnick said US carriers would immediately have to end code-shares with Thai carriers where the Thai carriers were the operating carrier, as happened to the Philippines and South Korea.

But an EU move would be more significant, given the traffic involved.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tou ... yers-wings

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[Up2U]

Thanks for posting. I would like to know the specifics of the problems that the audit uncovered as usually time is given to correct any deficiencies. In the old days Thai was always a highly respected carrier.

Some years ago there were reports outside Thailand that Star Alliance was so concerned about Thai Airways' safety record and overall maintenance they put the carrier on notice to shape up or leave the alliance. And we all know Qantas abandoned Bangkok as a hub after their crash-landing there and the deemed tardy and inadequate response of the airport authorities

[anonone]

This is not any type of comment on a particular airline, so Thai Airways is not really the focus.

This is more about the overall infrastructure of air service in Thailand, which is why it is affecting all airlines based in Thailand. From another article I read someplace, it has to do with things like how the oversight of air traffic is accomplished. One example given was the agency that operates air systems should not be the same agency that investigates if they comply with international standards.

Using USA terms, more like trouble with the FAA, not United Airlines.

Regardless, certainly bad press for all of Thailand tourism as well as all the Thai-based airlines.

[arsenal]

Thai Airways have been going downhill for years.

[fountainhall]

I would like to know the specifics of the problems that the audit uncovered as usually time is given to correct any deficiencies.

No idea about the specifics, but if Thai airlines fail in 79 out of 100 categories, surely something quite serious needs to be fixed. From the articles I quoted, it seems there is a 90 day grace period.

This is more about the overall infrastructure of air service in Thailand, which is why it is affecting all airlines based in Thailand. From another article I read someplace, it has to do with things like how the oversight of air traffic is accomplished. One example given was the agency that operates air systems should not be the same agency that investigates if they comply with international standards.

I haven't seen any other articles and I can understand that general problems could result in these specific future actions. We know that all Philippine and Indonesian airlines were denied access to European airspace for some years, but that had also been a result of a number of air disasters in both countries.

If it is basically an oversight issue, then I hope the Thai authorities will sort out those remaining 79 issues a.s.a.p - certainly before TG is denied access to LAX and European air space. That would surely be one of the ultimate tourism disasters.

[bkkguy]

No idea about the specifics, but if Thai airlines fail in 79 out of 100 categories, surely something quite serious needs to be fixed.

as was pointed out above the problems are not with Thai airlines but with the Thai regulatory authorities.

the same Thai authority supervises certifying and approving Thai airline operations, certifying Thai airline staff and certifying Thai airport operations while also managing and operating the very airports that depend on these airlines and their own approval processes to stay in business - for some reason the ICAO considered this a conflict of interest.

The ICAO also said the Thai authority lacked sufficient qualified staff to perform its certification duties and reported a swag of other problems with the staffing, management and operation of the authority - for some reason some some other national aviation authorities now have concerns about the safety of allowing Thai certified flights operating in their airspace

From the articles I quoted, it seems there is a 90 day grace period.

There was an article in the Bangkok Post a few months ago when this first became an issue - there was a 90 day grace period, but as usual the Thai authorities moved with glacial speed and achieved very little in this grace period, hence the current international reaction.

If it is basically an oversight issue, then I hope the Thai authorities will sort out those remaining 79 issues a.s.a.p - certainly before TG is denied access to LAX and European air space. That would surely be one of the ultimate tourism disasters.

The Thai response to this has been fairly typical - we see no real reason to change the administrative structure, we see no real reason to seriously address the corruption and nepotism leading to staffing issues in the organisation, we see no reason to care about the safety issues but we can't have anything affect the tourism goose's golden egg so we will do the absolute minimum necessary to appease those pesky foreigners who do not understand Thai ways!

a comparison to the way the Thai authorities have responded to international pressure about human trafficking and slave labor in the fishing industry is educational - again it has taken years and any real reaction was only when things became critical, any response has not been about addressing the real moral and social issues or the corruption involved because this is what is right and important, instead it has all been about maintaining the country's and the industry's reputation, and the profits of vested interests

or perhaps I am just too much of a cynic?

bkkguy

[egel]

or perhaps I am just too much of a cynic?

No, you are not.

I went to Bali Hi Pier, in Pattaya, a few weeks ago.You will remember that an overloaded ferry sank last year with the death of at least 6 passengers and many more seriously injured.

Ferries arriving were marked with a maximum of 150 passengers. I counted 194 disembark form one and many others were similarly overloaded.

Those who earmark Thai Airlines as unsafe are correct.

All Public Transport in Thailand is unsafe...look at Bus accidents, Mini Bus crashes etc. Aircraft are no different...Phuket accident, Ko Samui accident... to name just two.

[fedssocr]

not to mention the literal trainwreck at Ayutthaya the other day

Maybe the junta has too many other things on their plate...like unity parties and festivals.

[Up2U]

BP: "....aviation watchdog rejects DCA remedy."

http://bangkokpost.com/news/general/511 ... dca-remedy