Thai Airways International dragged into Thailand’s turmoil?

BANGKOK- Is Thailand’s seeds of revolution –beyond the controversial figure of its leader Suthep Thaugsuban- reaching now businesses? Last week, the President of Kasikorn Bank – the Bank of Agriculture- had to come out under pressure of his staff to sweat that the bank was not bailing-out an absurd rice-scheme made a few months ago by Yingluck Shinawatra government. This shows that something is maybe changing in Thailand. And the next one is certainly Thai Airways International.

The airline is sick, not of its own business –which is relatively sound- but sick of its bad management, as politicians have always interfered into the airline’s business. A previous Vice President of Thai, told once in private that the airline’s board of directors was just run by a bunch of incompetent people, all political proxies… Over the years, strategic changes due to half a dozen presidents at the aim of the airline, explain a lot about the difficulties encountered by Thailand’s national carrier.

Last Friday, rumours about a possible strike made headlines in Thai newspapers, forcing Acting President Chokchai Panyayong to assure that no strike was planned from Monday and ‘it would be business as usual for Thai Airways International” as declared to Thai media.

Beside the lack of directions, Thai unions want to oust the deeply unpopular Ampon Kittiampon, Chairman of Thai Airways. The man serves as Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture since 2002 but is also Secretary General of the Office of National Economic and Social Development Board, an independent Director of PTT (Thai petrol company) and is a Director of Bank of Thailand. He is also a member of the National Legislative Assembly. The 57 year old personality is a typical product of this combination of Thai businessman turned into politician or vice-versa.

Thai Airways unions never forgave him to have fired the carrier’s most competent President so far, Piyasvasti Amranand, a tough but visionary personality. Rumours about conflicts between Sorajak Kasemsuvan, the following president, with Thai Airways Board of Directors and Chairman Kittiampon, surfed regularly, especially as the airline’s showed continued losses. Mr. Kasemsuvan resigned for “health reasons” –maybe affected by the devastating “Kittiampon flu”!- Kasemsuwan’s resignation did not change however the financial situation of Thai Airways. In January, the national carrier had even to issue a public statement that denied it was threatened with bankruptcy.

The Union was calling for a “Shutdown TG” starting from this Monday, but negotiations obviously helped to at least postpone industrial action. Thai is facing a hard time due to the current political turmoil, experiencing a reduction in passengers number, especially for routes to Northeast Asia and to some markets such as Singapore or Malaysia. The airline has announced a number of flight reductions from the summer season. Reductions that Thai Acting President Panyayong described as normal “adjustments” to market conditions and not due to the political situation.

The following flights will be affected by changes from March 2014:
1. Seasonal Frequency Increase
- TG948/949 Bangkok-Madrid-Bangkok, from 3 flights to 4 flights per week
- TG431/432 Bangkok-Denpasar-Bangkok, from 5 flights per week to daily flights
- TG2600/2601 Bangkok-Chongqing-Bangkok, from 3 flights to 4 flights per week
- TG2901/2902 Bangkok-Colombo-Bangkok, from 6 flights per week to daily flights
- TG2925/2926 Bangkok-Hyderabad-Bangkok, from 4 flights to 5 flights per week

2. Seasonal Frequency Reduction
- TG922/923 Bangkok-Frankfurt-Bangkok, from 6 flights to 5 flights per week
- TG950/951 Bangkok-Copenhagen-Bangkok, from 7 flights to 6 flights per week
- TG954/955 Bangkok-Oslo-Bangkok, from 7 flight to 5 flights per week
- TG960/961 Bangkok-Stockholm-Bangkok, from 7 flights to 6 flights per week
- TG970/971 Bangkok-Zurich-Bangkok, from 7 flights to 6 flights per week
- TG974/975 Bangkok-Moscow-Bangkok, from 6 flights to 4 flights per week
- TG473/474 Bangkok-Brisbane-Bangkok, from 7 flights to 5 flights per week
- TG349/350 Bangkok-Islamabad-Bangkok, from 4 flights to 3 flights per week

3. Seasonal Temporarily Suspended Flights
- Bangkok-Sendai-Bangkok
- Copenhagen-Phuket-Copenhagen
- Stockholm-Phuket-Stockholm
- Bangkok-Luang Prabang-Bangkok

Whatever changes taking place, let’s wish good luck to Thai Airways International and his management…

Sourced: TravelDailyNews