Government vows air safety overhaul

Thailand's Prime Minister vowed on Wednesday to fix the kingdom's airline industry after the United States downgraded the country's air safety rating in an embarrassing blow to the tourist-reliant nation.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement late Tuesday. Thailand's civil aviation authority no longer met "minimum international standards", a decision that could hamper the operation of Thai airlines worldwide.

The ruling is a setback to the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

He has blamed successive civilian administrations for failing to tackle safety concerns over the last decade, a period of political turbulence marked by short-lived governments, debilitating street protests and two military coups.

"People in the whole country just kept fighting - no one helped one another," he told reporters Wednesday.

"We have to see what we have to fix and improve."

Thailand is a major regional air transport hub while tourism - one of the few bright spots in an otherwise flagging economy - accounts for roughly 10 percent of GDP.

In March, the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization reported "significant safety concerns" within Thailand's aviation sector.

At the same time, China, Japan and South Korea temporarily stopped Thai-based airlines from flying charters or new routes due to safety concerns, although those restrictions have since been lifted.

The FAA conducted an audit earlier this year and gave Thailand 65 days to make improvements in areas of concern, but the deadline was not met.

The FAA downgrade means Thai airlines will be banned from the United States while US airlines will not be able to begin new code-shares with their Thai counterparts.

That will have little direct effect immediately since no Thai airline currently flies to the United States.

However, other airline safety regulators, such as those in the European Union, often take their cue from FAA safety rulings, which could result in further downgrades or blacklisting that would have a direct impact.