A bill geared towards implementing International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards will be submitted to the cabinet for approval in two months' time, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says.
He said the bill will include "several changes" to present laws which govern civil aviation in Thailand, including safety precautions in flight routing.
"The changes will also include harsher penalties for those who commit crimes inside airports," Mr Arkhom said. "Such crimes include hijacking and intentionally inciting chaos by shouting forbidden words in airports."
He said penalties will also be harsher for crimes committed in airside areas, or all areas inside the airport which are accessible to aircraft.
These areas typically include runways, taxiways and other ramps.
"[The Transport Ministry] will hold talks with authorities to make them aware of these changes after the bill is passed, since such actions will be considered crimes both in Thailand and on an international scale," Mr Arkhom said.
Details regarding the official penalties are awaiting finalisation. According to Mr Arkhom, the bill is currently being reviewed by the Council of State in tandem with the Transport Ministry.
It will be submitted to the National Legislative Assembly after the reviews are finalised. Once the assembly approves the bill, it will later be announced in the Royal Gazette, where it will then become an official act.
Section 3 of the present draft civil aviation bill from November 2016 says the currently-observed Air Navigation Act (1954) will be cancelled once the bill turns into an act and is officially enforced.
Aviation authorities in Thailand, including the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and the Department of Airports adhere to the Air Navigation Act.
The efforts are part of an initiative for Thailand to regain full, official recognition by international aviation bodies, Mr Arkhom said.
Thailand was given a red flag status by ICAO in June 2015 after the country failed to fix significant safety concerns addressed by the authority within its specified deadlines.
Airlines operating in Thailand were then unable to establish new international flight routes.
The country's red flag status was removed last October, after several airlines received the green light from ICAO.
Mr Arkhom said on Wednesday the Transport Ministry has also asked the United States' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct inspections on the country's aviation status this month or in April.
The FAA demoted Thailand to Category Two status in late 2015 after it failed to comply with ICAO standards.
The authority has not yet promoted the country to Category One status after the ICAO removed its red flag.
Meanwhile, the cabinet has approved the Transport Ministry's request to support the ICAO Council's recommendation to increase the council's member countries from 36 to 40 members.
He said Thailand, as a member of the 192-member-country ICAO Assembly, is required to reply to the organisation's recommendation.
