Thai AirAsia X (XJ, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) has announced it will suspend flights to Sapporo Chitose, Japan with effect from August onwards citing the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) recent decision to formally instate a Serious Safety Concern (SCC) against Thailand.

The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) gave the AirAsia X (D7, Kuala Lumpur International) subsidiary permission to launch its Bangkok Don Mueang-Sapporo service on May 1 on condition that it uses AirAsia X (D7, Kuala Lumpur International) aircraft, pilots, crews and airline codes to do so. Since then, the Thai carrier has had to renew its route authority with the JCAB on a monthly basis.

However, given the long term uncertainty that the infraction carries with it, Thai AirAsia X has decided to suspend its flights to Hokkaido until the outlook improves.

"There was too much uncertainty and anxiety over how much longer we could continue with the Sapporo flights. It's better to retreat. If we keep doing this on a monthly basis, we cannot plan long term," Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia X, told the Bangkok Post. "I think [the re-launch of the Sapporo service] will be by the end of this year or early next."

The ICAO is scheduled to undertake another inspection of Thailand's aviation sector in October/November of this year.