Thailand grounds 12 airlines, including Thai VietJet
Thailand’s military government through the special powers it granted itself by Section 44 in the latest Constitution suspended international flights of no less than 12 Thailand-incorporated airlines which received no valid operator certificates from the country’s aviation body.
The three best-known airlines on the suspension list are Orient Thai Airlines, budget carrier Thai Vietjet Air and Asia Atlantic Airlines, the charter airline of popular Japanese travel agency H.I.S., for which the ban certainly comes as a blow. Another one, Jet Asia Airways, serves many Chinese destinations and could also suffer from the ban, although it is likely only temporary.
The others are Mjets, K-Mile, AC Aviation, Siam Land Flying, VIP Jets, HS Aviation, Advance Aviation and Skyview Airways, most of which are business or private jet, charter or cargo airlines.
Together, the airlines have a market share of just two per cent, which means the impact on air travel and on Thailand’s tourism-dependent economy will be minimal, the head of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand told Reuters.
However, the airlines affected by the Section 44 order can still fly inside Thailand as order bars them explicitly from any international flights.
Thailand’s aviation industry has been under scrutiny after the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organisation downgraded the country in June 2015, giving it a red flag for missing a deadline to address significant safety concerns. The government’s move comes ahead of an ICAO’s visit to Thailand next week.
The airlines are now subject to undergo a new safety audit and, if they pass, can resume flying.
Thailand’s military government through the special powers it granted itself by Section 44 in the latest Constitution suspended international flights of no less than 12 Thailand-incorporated airlines which received no valid operator certificates from the country’s aviation body. The three best-known airlines on the suspension list are Orient Thai Airlines, budget carrier Thai Vietjet Air and Asia Atlantic Airlines, the charter airline of popular Japanese travel agency H.I.S., for which the ban certainly comes as a blow. Another one, Jet Asia Airways, serves many Chinese destinations and could also suffer from the ban, although it is likely only temporary. The...
Thailand’s military government through the special powers it granted itself by Section 44 in the latest Constitution suspended international flights of no less than 12 Thailand-incorporated airlines which received no valid operator certificates from the country’s aviation body.
The three best-known airlines on the suspension list are Orient Thai Airlines, budget carrier Thai Vietjet Air and Asia Atlantic Airlines, the charter airline of popular Japanese travel agency H.I.S., for which the ban certainly comes as a blow. Another one, Jet Asia Airways, serves many Chinese destinations and could also suffer from the ban, although it is likely only temporary.
The others are Mjets, K-Mile, AC Aviation, Siam Land Flying, VIP Jets, HS Aviation, Advance Aviation and Skyview Airways, most of which are business or private jet, charter or cargo airlines.
Together, the airlines have a market share of just two per cent, which means the impact on air travel and on Thailand’s tourism-dependent economy will be minimal, the head of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand told Reuters.
However, the airlines affected by the Section 44 order can still fly inside Thailand as order bars them explicitly from any international flights.
Thailand’s aviation industry has been under scrutiny after the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organisation downgraded the country in June 2015, giving it a red flag for missing a deadline to address significant safety concerns. The government’s move comes ahead of an ICAO’s visit to Thailand next week.
The airlines are now subject to undergo a new safety audit and, if they pass, can resume flying.
