US reinstates Thailand s top aviation safety rating

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it had upgraded Thailands air safety rating to Category 1 a decade after a downgrade, paving the way for direct U.S.-Thailand flights to resume.

Thai airlines could not launch or expand services to the United States, either directly or as a code-share partner, under the International Aviation Safety Assessment Category 2 rating the FAA had assigned in 2015 due to a shortage of technical officers and certification problems in transporting hazardous goods. The top rating shows compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization standards.

In 2017, Thailand resolved a significant safety concern identified through the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program in 2015, the agency said on Thursday.

Prior to late-2015, Thai Airways flew direct between Bangkok and New York and Los Angeles.

In 2017, Thailand said it aimed to get an air safety rating upgrade by 2018. Bangkok is a regional airline hub and Thailand had more than 35 million foreign tourists last year. REUTERS

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