The Labour Ministry is planning to allow foreign pilots to temporarily operate domestic routes through wet lease agreements for airlines, though future requests from other airlines will be evaluated individually.
Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn stated, “The ministry is still awaiting a final meeting with the airline to wrap up discussions.”
In the previous month, Thai Vietjet, along with the Department of Employment, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), and the Thai Pilots Association, discussed the matter after Thai Vietjet appealed to former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for temporary permission for foreign pilots to fly domestic routes via wet lease agreements.
All parties involved are expected to conduct another meeting soon after the new cabinet takes office.
Mr. Phiphat mentioned that Thai Vietjet intends to lease two aircraft from a foreign company for six months under a wet lease agreement, which would include pilots, crew, maintenance, and insurance all in one package. The airline aims to utilize these jets during the peak tourism season.
The ministry noted that domestic route flying is usually reserved for Thai pilots, while foreign pilots are permitted to operate international routes.
“In reality, there isn’t a shortage of pilots in Thailand. The lessor’s condition stipulates that leased aircraft should come with their own pilots,” he explained. “The ministry is preparing to grant temporary permission for this airline.”
In practice, the ministry could draft specific ministerial regulations for this case without needing parliamentary approval.
Mr. Phiphat added that if other airlines wish to adopt similar measures, they must submit individual requests to the ministry for case-by-case consideration.
Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, president of the Thai Pilots Association, expressed concerns that allowing this arrangement could lead to a trend where more airlines opt for wet lease agreements, potentially increasing the number of foreign pilots working in the country and impacting job opportunities for local pilots.
He suggested that the government should focus on supporting and creating job opportunities for Thai pilots, for instance, by positioning Thailand as an aviation hub and facilitating airlines to expand their flight capacity through additional aircraft imports, which would subsequently enhance pilot employment.
Sarun Benjanirat, deputy director-general of the CAAT, stated that wet leasing is not uncommon and has been utilized since 2008, although Thailand uses it infrequently compared to countries such as Russia, which engages in significant leasing from Bermuda.
Mr. Sarun clarified that since Thailand is not officially bound to Article 83 bis of the Chicago Convention, which permits the transfer of supervisory responsibilities for an aircraft from the state of registry to the state of the operator, having only two aircraft under wet lease contracts for one airline means Thailand does not need to comply with this article.
