Australia’s aviation regulator says it will perform additional inspections on Thai Airways after a recent international audit flagged concerns with Thailand’s safety standards.
The review, conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), found issues with regulation in the country’s aviation industry, primarily with airline safety procedures.
It was the country’s second audit in ten years. The last ICAO review was held in 2005 and saw Thailand pass with no issues raised.
UN agency audit found concerns in Thailand’s aviation safety standards
However, this year’s audit saw Thailand issued with a ‘Significant Safety Concerns’ (SSC), which Thai Airways (THAI) says it is now focused on resolving with the UN agency.
“THAI places safety first before finances.”
Charamporn Jotikasthira, THAI President
THAI said although the findings are ‘most undesirable’, it is also an opportunity for Thailand to ‘leap in improvements in aviation safety monitoring standards’.
“The Royal Thai government is committed to bringing Thai DCA abreast to meet all requirements of aviation industry.”
Thai Airways statement
In the meantime, countries including Australia have increased scrutiny of the airline’s flights to ensure passenger safety.
Australia says it will closely monitor Thai Airways flights, while Japan says it will limit any additional services.
Japan and South Korea have banned additional flights from Thailand, while Australia and Singapore say they will operate more inspections on THAI flights operating into their countries.
“These inspections look at the condition of aircraft as well as flight and aircraft documentation.”
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
“At this stage CASA has not placed any additional restrictions on Thai Airways flights to and from Australia. This is subject to the results of increased surveillance and any additional information that may be provided by Thai Airways and the Thai air safety regulator.”
Results of Thailand’s ICAO audit are yet to be published online, however, a spokesperson told the BBC that they are conducted through ongoing observation.
The spokesperson said the agency looks at the destination’s aviation authorities and their abilities to resource and manage aviation safety.