Bangkok, 26 February 2019: Thailand and the European Union celebrated closer ties with the unveiling of new European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) office hosted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith and Mr. Giuseppe Busini, Chargé d'Affaires a.i., the Delegation of the European Union to Thailand, cut the ribbon to open the office.
The new office will help further the partnership between the EU, Thailand and ASEAN, and support safer and more sustainable aviation under the ASEAN Regional Integration Support from the European Union (ARISE+) civil aviation project and the bilateral actions of the EU-South East Asia Partnership. These programmes are funded by the EU and implemented by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Europe’s technical body for safety and environmental protection.
Dr. Chula Sukmanop, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said, “Thailand and EU have had strong relations in aviation. The new office will enhance EU roles in supporting all ASEAN member countries. CAAT is honoured to play a part in the sustainable aviation development in our region.”
Mr. Luc Tytgat, Strategy and Safety Management Director at EASA said “We are very grateful to Thailand for welcoming us within their premises and for the support provided. These projects will help ASEAN ensure safer, cleaner and cheaper flights, whilst enabling more connections.”
The EASA project office will facilitate the implementation of the ARISE Plus Civil Aviation Project and the EU-South East Asia Aviation Partnership Project, plus a third project, to be launched shortly, focused purely on mitigating climate change, through which EASA will support the effective implementation of the international Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) in ASEAN.