Thai Airways business improves after political woes ease

BANGKOK, June 14 (TNA) – Thai Airways International (THAI) president Piyasavasti Amranand on Monday said the airline’s cabin factor, or ratio of seats filled, increased in June by almost 70 per cent after tourists began returning to Thailand following the reduced political tension.

Mr Piyasavasti said he is therefore confident that travellers will come back at the previous rate in the third and fourth quarters, which is Thailand’s high season.

He admitted that the political chaos in May seriously affected the airline business. During the period, THAI experienced losses of about Bt3 billion (US$92 million), while its cabin factor has sharply dropped to only 59 per cent, which he said was quite low.

Mr Piyasavasti welcomed the government’s decision for tax measures to promote tourism by allowing Thai travellers to use their travel receipts for income tax deductions, and said the public sector needs to speed up restoring confidence among foreign travellers in order that they are aware that Thailand is safe and peaceful.

Concerning the continued current imposition of the emergency decree, the THAI chief said it would not affect tourism if the understanding was made clear to tourists that the decree would help ensure safety for the public.

Meanwhile, THAI’s executive vice president for Commercial Department, Pruet Boobphakam, said the national carrier has recently cooperated with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) together with five-star hotels and entrepreneurs in the Ratchaprasong area to hold a 3-day tour in July bringing around 700-800 foreign correspondents and representatives of international travel agents to Thailand.

The trip would be at no cost to the foreign correspondents and travel agents, who will spend one night at a hotel in Ratchaprasong. In order to show them that Thailand’s situation has returned to normal, all guests will later be accompanied to experience different other Thai regions such as in the northern province of Chiang Mai, the southern resort island of Phuket and the northeastern province of Khon Kaen.

Mr Pruet said THAI will soon hold a news conference on the matter with TAT.

Moreover, THAI has increased the number of flights on its newly-acquired Boeing 777 to offer passengers on the Bangkok-Paris and Bangkok-Tokyo routes and vice versa to attract potential travellers from both destinations. (TNA)