Thailand seeks air safety rating upgrade by US FAA

Thailand aims to get its air safety rating upgraded by the US FAA by March, the country's transport minister said Wednesday, after the FAA downgraded the rating in Dec 2015. Thailand's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) was downgraded to Category 2 from 1 because it fell short of the FAA's standards. "We aim to be restored back to Category 1 by March," Transport minister Arkom Termpittayapaisith said. Arkom's comment came 3 months after the ICAO removed a red flag against Thailand over safety concerns in October. He said Thailand will speed up its inspection of pilot qualifications and aim to have more aviation personnel and qualified pilots to be considered for the safety ratings upgrade. <br/>