Deadline looms for international aviation report card

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is expected to deliver its verdict soon on whether it will lift its “red flag” on Thailand’s aviation safety status, deputy Army spokesperson Colonel Sirichan Ngathong said on Wednesday.

The ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission visited Thailand from September 20-27, to inspect and evaluate the country’s new aviation safety regulatory system.

Sirichan said the mission normally spent about a month determining its evaluation, so its ruling is expected some time this month.

The ICAO red flagged Thailand’s aviation safety regulatory system in 2015 for failing to meet its standards and gave all Thai aviation agencies two full years to correct all the flaws.

Thai authorities have high hopes that the red flag will be lifted, as they believe they have answered all the questions raised by the ICAO team during the visit.

According to the procedures, ICAO officials will submit a report to its head office for consideration, which is expected to take about one month. After that, the ICAO will send documents to confirm the results of the audit.

STORY: The Nation