Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will invoke Section 44 of the interim charter to deal with the recent prohibition of Thai-registered airlines to Japan, South Korea and China.
The premier's decision follows a report that South Korea and China have joined Japan in banning new flights by Thai carriers by implementing exhaustive safety standards that will affect more than 150,000 passengers during the high tourist season from April to May.
Gen Prayut said the government is paying attention to the problem and he has to use his power under Section 44 and form a special panel to immediately tackle the issue.
The solution requires pushing ahead the organisations' restructuring, law changes and budget allocations which will normally take some time.
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With his special power under Section 44, the prime minister said he can give relevant orders for the changes immediately. "We need to act as soon as possible to solve the problems," he said.
The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) recently announced it would not allow new chartered and scheduled flights operated by Thai-registered airlines into Japan, a move seen as a reaction to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)'s concerns over Thai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) standards.
Gen Prayut said the ICAO had expressed concerns about the DCA for a long time, since Thailand was dealing with 300,000 flights a year. These days the number of flights passing through the country has doubled to 600,000 but the ICAO's concerns have yet to be solved.
"What happened? There are only 12 DCA officers responsible for the flights," the prime minister said.
He said he could not blame the DCA chief since he has persistently raised the problems but politicians did not solve them. "This is our mistake, and we have to concede that we violated the rules and we must find ways to address the problem," Gen Prayut said.
DCA chief Somchai Phiphutthawat said airlines affected by Japan's announcement during the long Songkran festival next month consist of Thai AirAsia X, Asia Atlantic and NokScoot.
Korean aviation authorities also told the three airlines directly about the ban on their charter flights, he said. Chinese aviation authorities have prohibited the charter flights of Thai AirAsia X, Orient Thai Airlines and Skyview Airways.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Monday he had raised the aviation safety issue with the Japanese prime minister and the South Korean president on the sidelines of the funeral of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday. He gave no details but indicated there was no progress. (Post Today photo)
About 400 flights and 150,000 passengers are affected by the ban, according to Mr Somchai.
Transport Minister Prajin Juntong said the DCA proposed an action plan to deal with ICAO safety concerns on March 2 but ICAO rejected it, saying the two-year proposed time frame for solving it is too long.
As a result, the authorities have agreed to tweak the plan so the changes can take effect in eight months. The new plan will be proposed to the ICAO on April 7.
ACM Prajin admitted the government is concerned the ban will have a "domino" effect on other countries, meaning it might spread.
He said the DCA explained its work to the JCAB on March 26-27, and will talk to South Korean and Chinese authorities on Friday and next Monday respectively. It will also meet the aviation authorities of Australia and Germany.
Meanwhile, Charoen Wangananont, secretary-general of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said Japan's ban on Thai flights could result in a drop of at least 2,000 Japanese visitors to Thailand next month.
They earlier booked flights on Asia Atlantic Airlines and Jet Asia Airways, which have stopped flying their planes to Japan for fear the aircraft would be unable to fly back, he said.
The number does not include those on Thai Airways International's chartered flights on the Bangkok-Komatsu and Bangkok-Hiroshima routes, which have also been suspended.
