The Pilots Association submitted a letter to the Labor and Transport ministries yesterday, requesting a reconsideration of the cabinet’s decision allowing foreign pilots to operate domestic flights through wet lease contracts.
Last week, the cabinet approved a temporary measure permitting foreign pilots to fly domestic routes for six months to address a shortage of commercial pilots amid a surge in tourism.
Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, the association’s president, argued that this measure violates existing laws since piloting is a prohibited occupation for foreigners and emphasized that there is no actual pilot shortage.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand reported that there were 3,024 commercial pilots in 2023. During the pandemic, approximately 1,026 pilots were laid off, while 1,219 graduates from pilot schools with commercial licenses are still seeking jobs in the airline industry.
Mr. Teerawat stated that the approval conflicts with Thailand’s 20-year national labor strategy, particularly the five-year plan from 2023 to 2027 that focuses on future industries and the service sector. He expressed concern that allowing foreign pilots to operate Airbus A320 aircraft—an area in which Thai pilots are well-trained—would negatively impact domestic employment opportunities.
He noted that younger workers may opt for more secure job fields instead of pursuing a career as pilots. If airlines continue to rely on temporary wet lease agreements, it would certainly harm the job market for pilots and undermine Thailand’s competitiveness in the aviation sector, he added. This situation might also have implications for related industries, such as enabling foreigners to operate drones in agriculture.
A wet lease is a leasing arrangement where one airline provides an aircraft along with its crew, maintenance, and insurance to another airline.
The association is urging the Transport Ministry to prevent Thai airlines from engaging in wet lease contracts unless relevant regulations are updated to meet international standards. Some local airlines seek to initiate wet leases based on Section 33/1 of the Thailand Air Navigation Act; however, portions of this law are inconsistent with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program.
Thailand is not a formal participant in Article 83bis of the Chicago Convention, which allows the state of registry to delegate supervisory responsibilities for an aircraft to the state of the operator. This raises concerns about compliance with international safety standards, putting Thailand at risk of receiving another red flag from ICAO, similar to the situation in 2015, warned Mr. Teerawat.
ICAO is scheduled to conduct an audit of Thailand’s operations in the third quarter of next year.
