Thailand to settle ICAO concerns by mid-2015

BANGKOK, April 8 (TNA) - Thailand plans to settle concerns, raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), by mid 2015, with transport authorities to present an action plan to ICAO on April 9. Deputy Permanent Secretary for Transport Voradet Harnprasert told journalists on Wednesday that transport authorities have concluded the corrective action plan, aimed to address ICAO's concerns. Voradet said that the corrective action plan would speed up solutions to please ICAO within its 90-day deadline, or by June 2, instead of a previous solution timeframe of two years earlier proposed by his ministry's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). Voradet noted that the action plan also includes the formation of a new unit under DCA to particularly supervise the air transport of hazardous cargoes. Besides, the action plan covers the modernization of Thailand's aviation law the government has planned to use authority under Section 44 of the Provisional Constitution to pass it right away. ICAO recently raised safety concerns over Thailand's airline and air transport certification standards supervised by DCA, prompting Japan and South Korea to prevent additional flight services from Thailand, Failing to please ICAO within the deadline, there could be problems with flights of Thai-registered airlines to the United States and Europe. (TNA)