InfoQuest (December 14, 2021) - Mr. Saksayam Chidchob, Minister of Transport of Thailand attended Thai Aviation Industry Conference 2021 and delivered a keynote speech titled "Flying to the New Era of Thai Aviation". Theconference was held to chart the course for Thai Aviation industry and develop relevant measures to ensure the recovery and steady development of Thai aviation industry during the post pandemic era. Relevant government officials and representatives of private enterprises attended the conference.
Saksayam said, in addition to supporting tourism, a pillar industry of Thailand, the aviation industry also drives consumption, employment, trade and investment and therefore plays an important role in boosting economic growth. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has developed relevant strategies to support and encourage sustainable development in the aviation industry.
Since the onset of COVID-19, people are less willing to travel and air passengers pay more and more attention to security and health during the travel, and the global aviation industry suffered heavy loss in 2020. Given that, Thai aviation authorities have taken measures to reduce costs, ease restrictions and stimulate demand for air travel to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on airlines and enable them to continue operating.
The Full ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission shows Thailand's civil aviation safety standards are in line with those of other ASEAN member states, marking that Thailand's aviation industry will be booming.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that Thailand will receive 214 million airline passengers by 2031. Therefore, Thailand needs to develop artificial intelligence, 5G and other technologies, build terminals and make corresponding preparations in advance to meet the needs of passengers. The Department of Airports and the Airports of Thailand will work together to achieve airport connectivity.
The Ministry of Transport is currently considering cooperating with the Department of Internal Trade to sell agricultural products in 22 domestic airports and set up OTOP product sales and distribution centers in the airport, to revitalize the aviation industry. Meanwhile, to enhance the operation efficiency, it considers granting the management authority of some airports to AOT.
In addition, the Ministry of Transport will formulate aviation policies based on the national strategy to enhance Thailand's logistics competitiveness in the region and build a safe flight system that will benefit the country in the future.
AOT will discuss with the Treasury Department, the Controller General's Department and the Office of the State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) about the granting of three major airports' management authority, to identify relevant management scope, according to Mr. Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, President of AOT. This matter will be submitted to the Cabinet for review in January next year.
Thanks to the re-opening policy, passenger number begins to pick up in the last two months of the year. CAAT revised its forecast for inbound foreign visitors from previous 2 million to 8 million. Thailand's airline industry has now recovered 10 percent. The number of flights in Thailand is forecast to grow to 2.15 million by 2031 from 1.06 million in 2019 and the number of passengers will increase from 116 million in 2019 to 214 million in 2031.
Source: InfoQuest, by Saowalak Ouypron/Sasithorn Simaporn, translated by Xinhua Silk Road
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