The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has downgraded Thailand aviation after it failed to resolve ongoing safety issues.
In March ICAO issued an advisory that the Thai regulator was failing to adequately manage safety standards of Thai airlines, which led to some countries banning flights operated by Thai carriers.
These included China, Japan and South Korea.
The Thai regulator submitted a new action plan but ICAO gave a ‘red flag’ for failing to meet the necessary standards in 90 days.
An earlier audit in January said Thailand had a shortage of technical officers.
Thailand’s downgrade to Category 2 is a major blow for the country for both business and tourism, and follows 12 other developing countries, including Nepal and Sierra Leone, which saw their rating reduced.
