THE US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assigned Thailand a lower Category 2 rating based on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards, after a reassessment of the country’s civil aviation authority in July.
With the downgrade, Thailand’s carriers can continue existing flights to the US, but will not be allowed to establish new routes there.
According to a statement by FAA: “A Category 2 International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) rating means that the country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or its civil aviation authority is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, or inspection procedures.”
THAI, the country’s national airline, immediately issued its own statement declaring that they are unaffected by the news. “(There) is no commercial or customer impact as THAI had already ceased operations to its only US destination of Los Angeles as of October 25, 2015,” said Charamporn Jotikasthira, president at THAI.
Thailand had held a Category 1 rating, which means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards, since 1997.
