Educational Information Only
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Civil Aviation Act Section 4 — Definitions (aircraft, operator, personnel, the Authority)
Act on Civil Aviation of Thailand (พระราชบัญญัติการเดินอากาศ) — Section 4.
Plain-English Summary
Defines the terms the rest of the Act relies on. An 'aircraft' includes every machine that supports itself in the atmosphere through the reaction of the air, except objects exempted by ministerial regulation. A 'transport aircraft' is one used or intended to carry goods or passengers for commercial reward, and a 'personal aircraft' is one used for purposes other than commercial reward. 'Aviation personnel' (ผู้ประจำหน้าที่) covers pilots, navigators, mechanics, radio operators, air traffic controllers, flight operations officers and others named by regulation; the Act separately defines a 'crew member' (สมาชิกลูกเรือ) as anyone the operator assigns to a duty on board. The 'Director' is the director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand under the law on that Authority, and the 'Convention' is the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation of 7 December B.E. 2487 (1944).
Official Text
Official Thai text at the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State. Translation summary only.
Consult official sourceParent Statute
Act on Civil Aviation of Thailand
พระราชบัญญัติการเดินอากาศ · B.E. 2497 (1954)
The Act on Civil Aviation of Thailand (Air Navigation Act) B.E. 2497 (1954), as substantially amended, regulates Thai civil aviation: aircraft registration and nationality, airworthiness, personnel licensing, air operator certification, civil aviation business licensing, aerodromes and accident investigation. It is administered through the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, which is established by separate legislation; a 2015 Emergency Decree amending this Act restructured civil aviation administration following International Civil Aviation Organization recommendations and dissolved the former Department of Civil Aviation. The Act gives the Authority's Director most day-to-day licensing and safety powers, with a Civil Aviation Board overseeing the Authority and the economic regulation of airlines. Pilotless aircraft need ministerial permission (Section 24); the Act itself contains no separate drone code.
The summary above is a plain-English educational paraphrase of Section 4 of the Act on Civil Aviation of Thailand. It is not an authoritative translation. For the binding Thai text, consult the Royal Gazette or the Office of the Council of State. Educational use only — not a substitute for advice from a Thai-qualified lawyer.
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