Icao audit on Thai DCA starting to bite??
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Icao audit on Thai DCA starting to bite??
From Bangkok Post:
Tokyo and Seoul civil aviation authorities this week banned new charter and scheduled flights operated by Thai-registered airlines to their countries, as they are doubtful of the Thai Civil Aviation Department's ability to meet international standards for aviation safety.
But scheduled and charter flights to Japan and South Korea already operating will be immune from the ban on the condition they do not change the types of aircraft serving those routes, aviation executives with knowledge of the issue told the Bangkok Post yesterday.
The decision has thrown Thai airlines focused on the two countries into disarray, with tens of thousands of Thai travellers affected.
The inauguration of service to Incheon airport, South Korea's gateway hub, by NokScoot, Thailand's No.2 low-cost long-haul carrier, that was scheduled for May 10 is now halted.
NokScoot's charter flights from Bangkok's Don Mueang airport to Japan starting from May 16 with 20,000 seats already sold are also suspended. Scheduled flights to Narita, the main airport serving Tokyo, by NokScoot now face further delays.
Thai AirAsia X, the country's first long-haul low-cost airline, planned to launch a daily service linking Bangkok with Sapporo, Japan on May 1, but that is now off the radar.
A host of smaller Thai charter airlines, which have sold thousands of seats to bring Thai Songkran revellers mostly to Japan next month, are also grounded.
Aviation executives expressed grave concerns the ban could snowball into a full-blown curb of all flights operated by Thai-registered carriers to Japan and South Korea or that other countries such as the US and China or EU members could take similar punitive action as Indonesia faced in the past.
"Thai aviation's credibility is seriously at stake and may take years to re-establish if the Civil Aviation Department fails to meet the global yardsticks," one executive said.
The department risks a downgrade by the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) from Category 1 to Category 2 as result of its recent audit covering a broad range of areas relevant to aviation safety and airline operations. But that is intended to assess the performance and expertise of the civil aviation authority and not of individual airlines.
Some of the main areas considered were personnel licensing and training, airworthiness assessment and certification, accident investigation and airline operations oversight and licensing.
Much speculation involves the shortage of inspectors and procedures for granting air operator licences and certificates of airworthiness as well as the conflict in allowing the Civil Aviation Department to license airlines and operate airports.
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 the 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.
The EU blacklisted all 51 Indonesian carriers from European airspace in 2007 for two years, citing lax safety standards.
Tokyo and Seoul civil aviation authorities this week banned new charter and scheduled flights operated by Thai-registered airlines to their countries, as they are doubtful of the Thai Civil Aviation Department's ability to meet international standards for aviation safety.
But scheduled and charter flights to Japan and South Korea already operating will be immune from the ban on the condition they do not change the types of aircraft serving those routes, aviation executives with knowledge of the issue told the Bangkok Post yesterday.
The decision has thrown Thai airlines focused on the two countries into disarray, with tens of thousands of Thai travellers affected.
The inauguration of service to Incheon airport, South Korea's gateway hub, by NokScoot, Thailand's No.2 low-cost long-haul carrier, that was scheduled for May 10 is now halted.
NokScoot's charter flights from Bangkok's Don Mueang airport to Japan starting from May 16 with 20,000 seats already sold are also suspended. Scheduled flights to Narita, the main airport serving Tokyo, by NokScoot now face further delays.
Thai AirAsia X, the country's first long-haul low-cost airline, planned to launch a daily service linking Bangkok with Sapporo, Japan on May 1, but that is now off the radar.
A host of smaller Thai charter airlines, which have sold thousands of seats to bring Thai Songkran revellers mostly to Japan next month, are also grounded.
Aviation executives expressed grave concerns the ban could snowball into a full-blown curb of all flights operated by Thai-registered carriers to Japan and South Korea or that other countries such as the US and China or EU members could take similar punitive action as Indonesia faced in the past.
"Thai aviation's credibility is seriously at stake and may take years to re-establish if the Civil Aviation Department fails to meet the global yardsticks," one executive said.
The department risks a downgrade by the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) from Category 1 to Category 2 as result of its recent audit covering a broad range of areas relevant to aviation safety and airline operations. But that is intended to assess the performance and expertise of the civil aviation authority and not of individual airlines.
Some of the main areas considered were personnel licensing and training, airworthiness assessment and certification, accident investigation and airline operations oversight and licensing.
Much speculation involves the shortage of inspectors and procedures for granting air operator licences and certificates of airworthiness as well as the conflict in allowing the Civil Aviation Department to license airlines and operate airports.
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 the 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.
The EU blacklisted all 51 Indonesian carriers from European airspace in 2007 for two years, citing lax safety standards.
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Not surprised.
In The small charter company I was flying for in Thailand, FOs whom were scheduled for upgrade would often be "advised" by the TDCA checkman assigned to the company to take him "for a massage" and bribes of upto 80,000B were spoke of for the guy to be signed off as a Capt. I observed one time on an FOs upgrade flight the TDCA checkman only stayed for the PIC in trainings PNF sector, he then walked off the plane and went home on a flight which was paid for by the FO!!!! (They'd signed the paperwork in the crew room before the flight ! or the massage parlour, who knows).
It's called "Kanom" in Thai... "Cakes" "Sweets" etc...Bribery is still ripe in the TDCA, even as far as to go as giving one guy who's a nutcase
fly for LionAir as an FO to cover some of their secrets. TDCA, Poor organisation.
In The small charter company I was flying for in Thailand, FOs whom were scheduled for upgrade would often be "advised" by the TDCA checkman assigned to the company to take him "for a massage" and bribes of upto 80,000B were spoke of for the guy to be signed off as a Capt. I observed one time on an FOs upgrade flight the TDCA checkman only stayed for the PIC in trainings PNF sector, he then walked off the plane and went home on a flight which was paid for by the FO!!!! (They'd signed the paperwork in the crew room before the flight ! or the massage parlour, who knows).
It's called "Kanom" in Thai... "Cakes" "Sweets" etc...Bribery is still ripe in the TDCA, even as far as to go as giving one guy who's a nutcase
fly for LionAir as an FO to cover some of their secrets. TDCA, Poor organisation.
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Interesting news to say the least - but as I posted in another forum, I'm looking for anyone who has any knowledge of what the TDCA crew duty/rest rules are. They're almost impossible to find - US, EU, ICAO - even Malaysia I can find, but not Thai. Its not realistic to assume they simply don't have any but other than total duty time allowed per day I cannot fins anything else. Anyone who knows what they are (i.e. crew standby duty times, required days off per month or quarter, min rest between duty times, etc) please PM me or replying forum? Thanks!
They obviously did not learn from the FAA Audit around 2007ish when I was in K-Mile. Everything sounds same same again.
Kabuto I have them but its written in Thai of course.
Kabuto I have them but its written in Thai of course.
Last edited by kwaiyai; 30th Mar 2015 at 04:57.
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I operate a private Thai registered light aircraft which I am planning on flying back to Europe shortly for a personal holiday.
Does anybody know if the EU or any other country for that matter starts following Japan's lead would affect the overseas operation of a private GA aircaft?
Are these types of bans limited to commercial activities, or blanket all aircraft on the registry?
I would hate to find out the hard way once I am in Europe...
Thanks in advance for any insight.
Cheers. E
Does anybody know if the EU or any other country for that matter starts following Japan's lead would affect the overseas operation of a private GA aircaft?
Are these types of bans limited to commercial activities, or blanket all aircraft on the registry?
I would hate to find out the hard way once I am in Europe...
Thanks in advance for any insight.
Cheers. E
