The airline industry has called on the Thai government to address problems at the country’s main airport in Bangkok, the BBC reports.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) says Suvarnabhumi airport has inadequate capacity and substandard taxiways.
The criticism follows safety warnings last year from another air industry organisation about Thailand’s regulation and inspection of airlines.
The government has set up two bodies to oversee airports and airlines.
However, it has asked for more time to meet international standards.
Suvarnabhumi airport was opened nearly ten years ago. It is Thailand’s main international gateway but Iata says it is now operating beyond its capacity, and needs to be expanded.
“Aviation is critical to Thailand’s economic success. It is the backbone of the tourism industry and provides critical global business links,” Iata’s director general Tony Tyler says in a statement.
“It is in jeopardy, however, unless key issues of safety, capacity and costs are addressed urgently.”
The organisation also urged the Thai authorities to fix the problem of ‘soft spots’ in poor quality tarmac at Suvarnabhumi airport, where airliners sometimes got stuck and had to be pulled out.
Thailand is already struggling to address last year’s warnings from the United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), about a shortage of inspectors to check safety procedures among Thai airlines.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) subsequently downgraded its safety rating of Thailand’s aviation authority, finding that Thailand did not comply with the ICAO’s safety standards.
Iata also said safety oversight concerns raised by both the ICAO and the US FAA must be addressed.
