More Orient Thai aircraft face scrutiny by authorities
Published: 10/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
Orient Thai Airlines has several decommissioned jets, including at least five Boeing 747s that have been parked for years at different airports, that may come under the same scrutiny by authorities as the two in the Phitsanulok case.
Aviation industry officials said three inactive Boeing 747s and "a few" single-aisle MD-80 jets are reportedly parked at Bangkok's Don Mueang airport and two other 747s at Udon Thani airport.
In addition, the airline reportedly has two other ageing 747s stored in the US.
On Tuesday, Crime Suppression Division officers inspected two decommissioned Orient Thai 747s parked at Phitsanulok airport after receiving a tip that all four engines had been removed from one of them and sold without taxes paid on the transaction.
The issue arose after the Customs Department found evidence of possible tax evasion from the sale of the engines and parts from another decommissioned Orient Thai 747 parked and completely broken down at the Navy-operated U-tapao airport.
Kajit Habanananda, Orient Thai's chairman, said the private airline had done nothing wrong, arguing there were no tax issues involved with a decommissioned aircraft.
Furthermore, he told the Bangkok Post yesterday that legally, Orient Thai is not subject to such liability, as the problematic aircraft are owned by international leasing companies, which he declined to name, and only leased to Orient Thai.
Mr Kajit said the airline became stuck with the 747s when the legal owners simply did not bother to retrieve them at the end of the lease and the jets' life cycle.
Several parties including Pattaya restaurant operators have expressed interest in turning the jumbo jets into eateries, but moving them will be difficult.
Mr Kajit said the 747 engines in question are stored at Don Mueang airport but did no say what would happen to them.
Orient Thai is prepared to lodge a defamation complaint against anyone accusing it of wrongdoing, he said.
Questions are emerging within the industry. First is why authorities allowed the dismantling to take place and parts removed from Phitsanulok and U-tapao airports before proper procedures could be assured in these high-security zones.
Industry experts say the aircraft contain toxic substances that must be handled only by certified agents, but it is doubtful the local junkyard operator assigned to dismantle the 747s is qualified. Only one outfit here, the technical department of Thai Airways, is certified for this.
Second, Orient Thai cannot legally do anything with the aircraft if it is true it does not own them.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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