Thailand Spared From EU Airline Blacklist

The European Aviation Safety Agency has not put any Thai airlines on its list of carriers banned from flying into the EU, after the US FAA downgraded Thailand.

EASA, in cooperation with the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, regularly updates the list of airlines banned from flying into the 28-member European Union because of safety concerns.

Indonesian carrier Lion Air remains on the blacklist, an EU official said.

The fact that no Thai carriers appeared on the list will be a boon for Thai Airways, the only major airline flying into Europe from the Asian country.

The result of the EASA audit came a week after the FAA downgraded Thailand's safety ratings because its civil aviation body failed to tackle flaws in its commercial aviation standards.

EASA visited Thailand earlier this year and on Wednesday the country's Directorate General of Civil Aviation signed an agreement with the European body in which EASA would help Thailand improve its air safety oversight.

Europe is Thailand's second largest tourism market, with the number of European tourists accounting for about 18 percent of total international visitors this year.

Europe contributes about 30 percent of Thai Airways' revenue.

About four million European visitors travel to Thailand every year, of whom one million fly with Thai Airways, according to data from the Thai tourism council.