Thailand: Aviation industry tipped to recover

The country's aviation industry is expected to make a significant recovery and return to the pre-pandemic level this year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). CAAT director Suttipong Kongpool said the aviation sector is projected to see a surge of at least 25m passengers this year, bringing Thailand back to the pre-pandemic 2019 level. Initially, the aviation industry expected a full recovery by 2024, but it fell short of expectations due to the slow return of Chinese visitors, he said, adding this was due to a number of factors, including economic conditions in China. Based on the CAAT figures, in 2019, Thailand saw a total of 165m passengers for both inbound and outbound flights of both domestic and international routes, while in 2024, the industry recorded 140m passengers. This marked a recovery rate of 85.14% of the pre-pandemic level. Suttipong said the growth has also been affected by shortages of aircraft, and airlines have opted to lease aircraft to alleviate the problem. The CAAT director said concerned parties need to speed up efforts to meet growing air travel demand as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects the Thai aviation sector to expand and rise to the 9th position by 2033. Currently, Thai aviation ranks the 19th largest in the world. IATA's projection shows a promising outlook for the country as an aviation hub, and the efforts needed include enhancing services, maintaining safety standards, and completing infrastructure projects, he said. Mr Suttipong also provided an update on the CAAT's operations<br/>