Thailand Tops Global Aviation Safety Scores at 91.35%, Surpassing the Global Average by Over 20%: CAAT

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) introduced the outcomes of the audit on the civil aviation security oversight system beneath the Common Security Oversight Audit Programme – Steady Monitoring Strategy (USOAP CMA) of the Worldwide Civil Aviation Group (ICAO), carried out from 27 August to eight September 2025.

The preliminary outcomes, masking solely the areas beneath CAAT’s direct duty confirmed a preliminary rating as excessive as 91.35%, almost 20% above the worldwide common of 70.50%.

The audit lined all eight key areas, specifically:
1. Major Aviation Laws and Civil Aviation Laws (LEG)
2. Civil Aviation Group (ORG)
3. Personnel Licensing (PEL)
4. Plane Operations (OPS)
5. Airworthiness of Plane (AIR)
6. Plane Accident and Incident Investigation (AIG)
7. Air Navigation Providers (ANS)
8. Aerodromes and Floor Aids (AGA)

The preliminary outcomes, masking solely the areas beneath CAAT’s direct duty -namely laws, civil aviation group, plane operations, airworthiness, personnel licensing, air navigation providers, and aerodromes – confirmed a preliminary rating as excessive as 91.35%, almost 20% above the worldwide common of 70.50%. ICAO can be sending a draft report back to be reviewed inside 90 days after the audit is accomplished, and the official scores are anticipated to be introduced on ICAO’s web site round February 2026.

Thailand achieved an ideal rating of 100% in two areas – Aviation Laws (LEG) and Civil Aviation Group (ORG) -exceeding the worldwide common by 20–30%. That is ample proof that Thailand at present has a contemporary and complete aviation authorized framework aligned with worldwide requirements, together with a powerful, well-structured civil aviation authority on par with the world’s main aviation nations. It additionally demonstrates how far Thailand has come since being positioned beneath the ICAO “Crimson Flag” in 2015, underscoring the nation’s progress in direction of turning into a globally acknowledged aviation hub.

Thailand’s Aviation Security Improvement Path

• January 2015: Thailand (then beneath the Division of Civil Aviation) underwent an audit that recognized 33 Important Security Issues (SSC). In consequence, ICAO issued a “Crimson Flag,” with Thailand’s Efficient Implementation (EI) rating at 33.53%.
• September 2017: CAAT (Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand) resolved all deficiencies, main ICAO to take away the Crimson Flag; the EI rating rose to 41.11%.
• Might 2019: All remaining deficiencies had been addressed (besides in AIG, because of ICAO’s scarcity of AIG consultants). The EI rating elevated to 65.83%.
• September 2021: ICAO carried out an Offsite Validation focusing solely on AIG, with the EI rating recorded at 66.08%.
• January 2022: ICAO up to date its audit protocol from the PQ2017 Version to PQ2020 for the USOAP-CMA, affecting the Efficient Implementation (EI) scores of all states. Thailand’s EI rating was adjusted to 61.60%.
• July 2025: ICAO launched the brand new PQ2024 Version, the most recent set of standards for USOAP-CMA audits.

Preliminary Outcomes

• Present Rating (earlier than the audit): 61.60%
• Preliminary Rating: 87.71%
• Preliminary Rating (for areas beneath CAAT’s direct oversight – laws, civil aviation group, plane operations, airworthiness, personnel licensing, air navigation providers, and aerodromes): 91.35%
• World Common: 70.50%

CAAT devoted the total experience of its personnel to organize for this USOAP CMA audit, the most important prior to now decade since 2015. Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, Director Basic of CAAT defined CAAT’s strategy to the ICAO evaluation that “ICAO gives Thailand with a guidelines, questions, and steering – the identical process utilized worldwide. Every CAAT division answerable for its respective space should work with its personal group, masking laws, operational procedures, and inspections of operators to make sure compliance with CAAT requirements, thereby demonstrating the Authority’s oversight functionality. Afterwards, ICAO evaluations what CAAT has documented, comparable to rules and working procedures, to confirm whether or not CAAT officers implement them accurately, together with making use of penalties when operators or licensed personnel violate guidelines or legal guidelines. All these components contribute to the excessive scores awarded by ICAO. This course of displays a complete and clear implementation of aviation regulation consistent with worldwide requirements.”

CAAT will perpetually improve and uphold the requirements by means of ongoing growth. Considerably, this achievement was not achieved by CAAT solitarily however by means of the collaboration of all stakeholders – together with Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd., Airports of Thailand Plc., the Division of Airports, the Civil Aviation Coaching Heart, airways, and all related associate companies. Their collective efforts drove this mission to success, giving confidence that Thailand will proceed to advance steadily in direction of turning into a secure and dependable aviation hub for the area and the world.

“Usually, ICAO conducts audit applications for its 193 member states, with round 12–20 nations assessed annually. Given Thailand’s excessive rating on this audit, it’s anticipated that, when it comes to managing security dangers amongst member states, there’ll probably be a substantial interval earlier than Thailand is reviewed once more. Over the previous decade, Thailand has been among the many nations most continuously audited by ICAO. As well as, the guidelines utilized by CAAT for this evaluation was the most recent 2024 model, which is extra environment friendly. To any extent further, ICAO can be utilizing this guidelines to judge all member states earlier than the cycle returns to Thailand,” Air Chief Marshal Manat concluded.