Thailand is moving to close gaps in airport screening and strengthen aviation security after a Thai Airways cabin crew member was detained by Australian authorities in Melbourne while on duty over the transport of illegal items into the country.
The case has drawn public attention to how crew baggage is checked when passing through Suvarnabhumi Airport, raising questions over existing rules, screening procedures and how suspected narcotics could pass through airport security.
In response, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, or CAAT, called an urgent meeting with aviation industry representatives and security agencies to draw up immediate and long-term measures aimed at tightening controls and raising national aviation security standards. The agency’s official English name is The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, or CAAT.
Under the urgent measures, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited will impose stricter searches of crew members and their baggage before duty. The airline will also introduce firm disciplinary action against anyone who breaches rules or accepts items from others without authorisation.
CAAT will also instruct all airlines to apply stricter screening procedures for crew members and baggage before flights, while Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited, or AOT, has confirmed that all crew members are already screened under the same standards applied to passengers. AOT said it was ready to fully support airlines and security agencies in related operations.
The Customs Department and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, or ONCB, will work together to improve the skills of screening officers, with a focus on behaviour observation and risk detection.
For longer-term measures, agencies will push for wider use of Passenger Name Record, or PNR, data to analyse risks and systematically screen persons of concern. They will also study links between databases held by the Customs Department, the Immigration Bureau and other related agencies, while developing additional screening technology and infrastructure.
AOT is also accelerating its plan to introduce biometric technology in baggage check-in procedures. The system is intended to improve identity verification and strengthen monitoring at airports.
