The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has demanded a clarification from Nok Air over the “CFIT” (controlled flight in terrain) remark allegedly made in Line application by a co-pilot during a flight to Bangkok from Phrae In which former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was one of the passengers.
CAAT director Squadron-Leader Alongkot Poonsook said Monday that the wording used, “CFIT”, was inappropriate. He added that although there is no regulation specifying punishment for the use of the word by a pilot he would look into the rules of the Aviators Association whether there is any punitive measure for this particular incident.
Personally, he said that pilots should not bring political issues to interfere with his work because that would affect services for passengers. He believes the co-pilot in question does not have much working experience.
However, he noted that CAAT would, in the near future, introduce a course in professional ethics regarding services for pilots to ensure better services for passengers.
Nok Air management has already apologized Ms Yingluck over the incident. The airline’s CEO, Mr Patee Sarasin, reportedly said that such a conduct by the co-pilot was unacceptable and he promised an investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, Ms Yingluck posted a message in her Facebook page, expressing her appreciation for Mr Patee’s apology and his promise to look into the case. Nevertheless, she added that the incident should serve as a lesson for those in the service sector to be more professional and that the incident would not recur to her or to the other passengers.
