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Thailand Civil Aviation
Domestic air service was furnished by Thai Airways Company
(TAC), a government-owned entity established in 1951. There were
some 130 airfields of all categories throughout the provinces,
104 of which were in usable condition, in addition to the major
airport at Bangkok. In the early 1980s, service was provided to
about twenty airports. In addition to domestic service, TAC also
flew to Penang in Malaysia, Vientiane in Laos, and Hanoi in
Vietnam. The principal Thai-flag international service was
provided by Thai Airways International (THAI), founded in 1959 by
TAC jointly with the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS); TAC held
70 percent of the shares and SAS 30 percent. THAI's routes
included flights to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America,
and Australia. Approximately thirty international airlines flew
into Thailand. Both TAC and THAI had greatly expanded and
upgraded their fleets by the mid-1980s. In 1985 THAI placed
orders with the European aircraft manufacturing consortium Airbus
Industrie for four A300-600 medium-range jumbo jets, making the
airline the third largest Airbus user in the world, with sixteen
airplanes. Also in 1985, THAI ordered two more Boeing 747s,
making a total of eight, for use on its long-distance routes to
Europe, North America, and Australia. In 1987 Prime Minister Prem
Tinsulanonda approved the proposed merger of THAI and TAC, which
was expected to be carried out by 1989.
The principal international airport was Don Muang outside
Bangkok. The airport had long been Southeast Asia's main air
traffic center for flights between Asia and Europe (although at
the beginning of the 1980s it was experiencing strong competition
from Singapore). The airport was used jointly by civilian
airlines and the Royal Thai Air Force, resulting in growing
congestion as international flights increased. During the
mid-1970s, consideration was given to building a new civilian
airport, but in 1978 a decision was made to move some military
operations to other airports. A two-year expansion program for
Don Muang was then initiated, and a new state enterprise, the
Airport Authority of Thailand (AAT), was legislated and took over
administration of the airport in July 1979. In 1979 the airport
at Chiang Mai was upgraded to become an international airport. In
1985 THAI opened a new cargo terminal at Don Muang International
Airport as part of its plan to expand its cargo business. That
same year a new wide-body aircraft maintenance center was
inaugurated at Don Muang as a bid to make Bangkok a regional
service center for Airbus and Boeing planes.
Data as of September 1987
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