In December 2015, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Thailand from a ‘Category 1’ to a ‘Category 2’ listed country after its regulatory body, the Department of Civil Aviation of Thailand (DCA), failed to comply with internationally recognised standards in regulatory oversight. The downgrade indicates that the DCA lacks the capability to provide a sufficient standard of oversight of the aviation industry within Thailand. Furthermore, it can also indicate that the regulatory authority is deficient in areas such as technical expertise, personnel training and inspection capabilities.

The International Air Transport Association has released its forecast for 2016, which forecasts that low oil prices and growing demand for air travel will result in increased airline profits in 2016. The recent safety concerns regarding terror related attacks in Europe have slowed traffic in the region; however, IATA expects this decrease in demand to only last between six and nine months.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has again raised concerns regarding the operations and pilot experience at Lion Air (Indonesia). The airline has experienced sizable growth over the past several years. As a result, EASA has cited concerns over the airline’s ability to maintain sufficient operational and training standards, given the scale of this growth. Furthermore, EASA has reportedly noted that the airline’s qualification requirements for new pilots are not as stringent when compared with its Indonesian counterparts. As a result of these concerns, Lion Air remains listed on the EU list of banned carriers.