Thailand speeds up solution to civil aviation

BANGKOK, December 2 (TNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who oversees economic affairs, says that he has ordered Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith to seriously find a concrete solution to Thailand's civil aviation, after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded its rating from Category 1 to Category 2 standard on December 1. Somkid pointed out although the downgrading has no impacts on Thailand's flight routes because Thailand does not have any direct flight to the United States for the time being, the image of the Thai civil aviation has been affected. Somkid emphasized that the downgrading happened although Thailand's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) had been divided into the Department of Airport and the Bureau of Aviation Administration, showing that the problem did not result from a structure but from officials' work. The deputy prime minister, however, declined to give any comment on the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)'s upcoming announcement of the result of its audit on Thailand's aviation standard, set on December 10, noting that the Thai transport minister would elaborate on future solutions. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong told reporters that the problem would have been worse unless the Thai government had seriously addressed the long-standing problem of the Thai civil aviation in accordance with guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), acknowledging that the mission takes times. (TNA)