ICAO has reportedly raised ‘Significant Safety Concerns’ (SSC’s) during a recent audit of Thailand’s civil aviation regulator, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). The audit was undertaken as a part of ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), which reviews the standards of the civil aviation regulators of member states to ensure that they adhere to internationally recognised standards of oversight. The DCA of Thailand now has a 90 day period in which to rectify the SSC’s, after which time ICAO will make public its findings.

The U.S. civil aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has officially granted a single Air Operators Certificate (AOC) to US Airways and American Airlines. As a part of the two airlines’ merger agreement, US Airways has now been placed onto American Airlines’ AOC, making the airline a single operating entity. American Airlines has now become the largest airline in the world, with a current fleet of over 960 aircraft.

After citing that the South African-based airline, SA Express, was technically insolvent in November 2014, the South African government has issued a USD98 million capital injection into the state-owned regional operator. The loan reportedly includes USD48.9 million to allow the airline to maintain its current level of operations, with the remaining USD49.1 million to be used to cover some of the airline’s outstanding debt. The airline will now continue to implement a large-scale restructuring and cost-cutting programme, which aims to return the airline to a financially sustainable position.