Thailand prepares aviation personnel for AEC

BANGKOK, March 6 (TNA) - Thailand, through the Civil Aviation Training Centre (CATC), is speeding up producing qualified personnel to serve the growing aviation sector in the region, as the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is scheduled to be formed by 2015. CATC Governor Group Captain Jirapon Kuaduang announced the move at a seminar in Bangkok on Wednesday, pointing out that emerging new airlines in Thailand and rising demand of aviation personnel in the region, up to 30,000-40,000 positions, covering aircraft mechanics and ground air traffic controllers, should be evidence of a frog-leap growth of the aviation sector in the region and a need for Thailand to urgently produce more competent and qualified aviation personnel timely for the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (AEC). Besides, the CATC governor acknowledged, Caretaker Thai Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt has a policy on developing Thailand's northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima Province to become an aviation industrial estate and aircraft maintenance hub in the region, also prompting the CATC to accelerate producing more competent and qualified aviation personnel to meet the official policy, through widening its door for aviation trainees for both diploma and bachelor degree levels and investing in building more offices and training centres to accommodate the increasing trainees. (TNA)