Concerns Rise Over the Future of Thailand’s Aviation Industry
PUBLISHED : 13 Mar 2025 at 05:03
The Thai Pilots Association is set to file a lawsuit against the Labour Ministry on Friday, seeking a temporary injunction to prevent foreign pilots from operating domestic flights.
This legal action follows a cabinet decision permitting foreign pilots to temporarily fly domestic routes through wet lease agreements, a measure introduced in December to address aircraft shortages faced by airlines.
Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, president of the Thai Pilots Association, stated that the authorization of foreign pilots undermines local pilots and contravenes two pivotal laws: the 2017 Foreigners Working Management Emergency Decree and the 1954 Air Navigation Act.
According to Section 7 of the Labour Ministry’s decree, it is prohibited for foreigners to operate domestic flights. Mr. Teerawat emphasized that while Section 14 does allow for exemptions in cases of national security, economic stability, and disaster prevention, the government’s justification of bolstering the tourism industry does not qualify as an exception under economic security.
Further grounding this assertion, the Air Navigation Act mandates that pilots operating domestic flights must be Thai citizens, per Section 44, unless specifically authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT).
Mr. Teerawat pointed out that wet lease agreements categorize pilots as officers on duty, and since no exceptions have been declared by CAAT, both the Labour Ministry and the cabinet lack the authority to grant such permissions, thereby breaching the law.
“In the long run, normalizing wet lease agreements could critically impact the entire aviation sector,” he warned.
He noted that many local pilots remain unemployed, ready to work, and the hiring of foreign pilots diminishes job prospects for Thai aviators.
This decision may deter airlines from investing in training homegrown pilots, threatening the stability of Thailand’s aviation landscape, according to Mr. Teerawat.
The association aims to submit the lawsuit to the Administrative Court by tomorrow, remaining hopeful but realistic about the potential outcomes as they strive to safeguard local pilot employment.
Additionally, there is concern that the temporary permission for foreign pilots, which can extend for another year, might lead to an even longer-term predicament in the future.
