Local and foreign travel on planes by government officials will be restricted from now after the cabinet yesterday endorsed an amendment to a legislation regarding expenditures of officials on official travels.
Economy class is now mandated for all levels of government officials in local travels, while foreign travel for high-ranking officials will be restricted to economy class in case of air travel time is less than nine hours.
Government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the restriction on local and foreign travels was approved by the cabinet under the government’s policy to curb expenditures for government officials on air travels.
He said under this new restriction, all levels of government officials must travel on economy class on local travel by planes, a change from the earlier business class.
In case of foreign official trip, first class travel will be permitted only for travel time exceeding nine hours for top government officials at the level of director general or inspector general, or provincial governor, ambassador, deputy permanent secretary, he said.
Lower executive level officials will be allowed on business class travel for travel distance exceeding nine hours.
Foreign official trips with travel time less than nine hours, all top government officials are required to travel on economy class, the spokesman said.
He said the new legislation also mandated local administration organisation and state enterprises to apply the same restrictions as the central government on local and foreign travels for their executives.
