Charter flights by five airlines hit amid Thai aviation safety concerns

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ICAO
Charter flights by five airlines hit amid aviation safety concerns
SUCHAT SRITAMA
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- AT least five airlines operating from Thailand to Japan, China and South Korea, and expected to carry about 150,000 passengers, will be affected in the wake of safety concerns expressed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Somchai Piputwat, director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation, said the five affected airlines are NokScoot, Thai Airways International, Asia Atlantic, Thai AirAsia X, and Jet Asia.

The airlines were set to carry about 120,000 passengers to and from Japan during this and next month. A further 30,000 passengers were expected to fly between Thailand and South Korea and China.

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday ordered the department to resolve the problem within one month by asking foreign organisations and experts for help.

Somchai said the five airlines had planned to operate charter flights to Japan during April and May with NokScoot carrying 27,000 passengers, Thai Airways International 10,000, Asia Atlantic 3,600, Thai AirAsia X 77,000, and the rest with Jet Asia.

He said a further 30,000 passengers would be affected on routes to China and South Korea.

Piya Yodmani, chief executive officer of NokScoot, said the airline would pause the 44 charter flights set to fly to Osaka and Tokyo over the next few months and would transfer 20,000 passengers to THAI.

The airline expected to lose about Bt400 million from the cancellations. It would affect its 120-strong aircrew and 30 pilots and co-pilots. NokScoot may also suspend a plan to operate charter flights to South Korea at the end of this year.

Thai AirAsia has witnessed a limited impact from the ICAO's safety concerns, as flights to China are operating as usual. The airline operates 21 daily flights to 14 destinations in China.

Tassapon Bijleveld, chief executive officer, said that Thai AirAsia and Thai AirAsiaX have no plan to operate chartered flights to China, Japan and South Korea. The impact is limited to its planned scheduled flights to Sapporo in Japan.

He said the airline had secured Japan's permission to operate scheduled flights to Sapporo from May 1 to June 30. He said the permission followed the Thai Civil Aviation Department's request to the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB).

Regarding tickets bought for travel after that period, he said customers have three options - take a full refund, postpone the travel date or change the flights to Tokyo or Osaka instead.

To date, the airline is maintaining its target of serving 14.5 million passengers this year and to achieve an 83 per cent load factor.

The JCAB recently announced that starting from March 29 it would not allow any Thailand-based airline to operate charter flights, to apply for any additional flights, add any new route to Japan or permit any aircraft type.

The action was in response to the ICAO expressing significant safety concerns during audit of Thailand's civil aviation standards.

AirAsia X continues to the serve Bangkok-Tokyo route with twice-a-day flights, and daily flights on the Bangkok-Osaka and Bangkok-Seoul routes.

Tassapon said only the Bangkok-Sapporo route would be affected, as the airline planned to operate this from May 1 onwards as a scheduled flight. The airline had received permission from the JCAB to be open for sales, according to document No 5470/5471 dated January 15, 2015.

Thai AirAsia X, in June 2014, began direct services from Bangkok's Don Mueang to Tokyo Narita followed by Bangkok Don Mueang-Osaka.

Charamporn Jotikasthira, president of Thai Airways International, said the ICAO ban did not impact regular commercial flights to Japan, and all THAI regular commercial flights will continue to operate as scheduled, as per the previously approved 2015 Summer Traffic Programme. However, the suspension would hit two of THAI's chartered flights - to Komatsu and to Hiroshima, in April.

He said THAI would explain the situation to China, South Korea and countries in Europe. He said Singapore and Vietnam are closely watching the situation in Thailand but there has been no reaction as of yet.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Charter-flights-by-five-airlines-hit-amid-aviation-30257170.html


-- The Nation 2015-04-01

[NongKhaiKid]

BBC World TV is giving the story coverage so expect more reaction and possible bans as the word spreads and when the ICAO audit report is actually released.

The govt, DCA etc will have their work cut out to spin this away.

[Thaddeus]

The graphic produced by The Nation instantly made me think of Heinkel bombers and what Adolfs family would have looked like.

[KamnanT]

Poor K. Somchai will probably be transferred to an inactive post and will have to experience the shame of being paid to stay at home.

[thaiowl]

Welcome to the real world of accountability.

Equally shocking was the Thai DCA's score compared with its ASEAN rivals: Thailand (35.6%), Cambodia (40.18%), Indonesia (45.09%), Vietnam (55.78%), Brunei (64.84%), Burma (64.9%), Laos (65.31%), Malaysia (81.18%), Singapore (98.86%).

[trainman34014]

Don't worry Chums...the General is going to use his 'immense powers' to solve the problem. Who is going to fix the next gigantic <deleted> up ( and this is one) in the future is anyone's guess, but Junta or Democratic Government's here are alike, so not a lot of hope for a constructive, safe, transparent and honest future, no matter who is running the country.

[h90]

The graphic produced by The Nation instantly made me think of Heinkel bombers and what Adolfs family would have looked like.

hahaha, yes.......

[ourmanflint]

Welcome to the real world of accountability.

Equally shocking was the Thai DCA's score compared with its ASEAN rivals: Thailand (35.6%), Cambodia (40.18%), Indonesia (45.09%), Vietnam (55.78%), Brunei (64.84%), Burma (64.9%), Laos (65.31%), Malaysia (81.18%), Singapore (98.86%).

I could try and blag that I understand what this means, but why not just ask I thought?

[Johnny S]

What tools they are - didnt they see the "writing on the wall" ? This is not gonna stop here since these carriers and more will be banned from EU-airports too

[NongKhaiKid]

What tools they are - didnt they see the "writing on the wall" ? This is not gonna stop here since these carriers and more will be banned from EU-airports too

Yes, this could spread like wildfire. Look how long it took Garuda to get cleared for the EU plus the cost of having to buy so many new planes. THAI for example is already in financial trouble. A poster in OZ said the other day that Garuda still has every flight inspected on arrival there.

Great tourist advertising, not to mention loss of revenue, if your carriers get banned from country after country.