FAA Lowers Thailand’s Aviation Safety Rating

The Federal Aviation Administration has downgraded Thailand’s safety level to category 2 after a “reassessment of the country’s civil aviation authority”.

According to a statement by the FAA, Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) went from Category 1 to Category 2 for the first time in almost two decades because it “does not comply” with global safety standards.

Under the Category 2 rating, Thai carriers are not permitted to launch new flights to the USA or change their existing routes or aircraft. That means Thai airlines are prevented from launching or expanding services to the United States, either directly or as code-share partners. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

However, for THAI there is no commercial or customer impact as THAI had already ceased operations to its only USA destination of Los Angeles as of 25 October 2015.

US and Thai aviation officials have a long-standing cooperative relationship and both our countries work continuously to meet the challenge of ensuring aviation safety. The European Union’s European Aviation Safety Agency (EUSA) is due to release the results of its investigation later this month.

A source from the aviation industry said that if the ICAO is unable to give a green light to Thailand, more airlines would be unable to expand their networks.

The FAA’s move came after the Montreal-based International Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had given Thailand a red flag on June 18 after the country could not meet its standards for regulating aviation businesses and granting air operator certificates.