HONG KONG For Asias aviation industry, the growing pains have just begun.

A year of disasters, the disappearance of Flight 370 and financial turbulence highlight the challenges confronting the worlds biggest air travel market, where governments, regulators and airlines are struggling to keep up after a decade of astonishing growth.

A U.N. agencys warning about airline safety in Thailand, one of the worlds top tourist destinations, is just the latest sign of ferment in the industry.

The boom has been driven by the regions explosive economic growth as well as market liberalizations that have allowed dozens of new discount carriers to flourish, turning the airline business on its head.

The strains are also showing in recurring pilot shortages and shortcomings in air traffic control systems and airport infrastructure that countries are scrambling to upgrade, especially in big Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia.

Were in uncharted waters, said Desmond Ross, principal at DRA International aviation consultants and former head of the Pacific Aviation Safety Office, which oversees airline safety for South Pacific islands. I dont think the world has seen this sort of growth before.

A third of airplane accidents in the Asia-Pacific region from 2008 to 2012 involved deficiencies in regulatory oversight, the International Civil Aviation Organization said in a report this year. Another 27 percent involved deficiencies in safety management.

Meanwhile, the agencys recent audit of Thailand has produced disquieting revelations about what lies below the surface of a country that has marketed itself to the world as a safe and welcoming destination.

The agency informed governments in March of significant safety concerns, prompting several Asian nations to step up inspections of Thai airlines or block them from launching new flights and modifying schedules.

The leader of Thailands military government, which ousted its civilian predecessor in a coup last year, blamed years of neglect for allowing problems to accumulate to a critical mass. He said the civil aviation department has only 12 inspectors, a figure unchanged for years despite huge growth in tourism.

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Challenges, growing pains confront Asian aviation industry