THAI pioneer passes away

BANGKOK  An architect of THAI Airways International’s success and a commercial aviation pioneer in the ASEAN region, Chatrachai Bunya-Ananta, died Saturday at the age of 82.
He started his career in the late 50s with British Airways after graduating from the University of Wales with a BA in economics and accountancy.
Scandinavian Airline System’s top brass recruited him in 1962 to join start-up airline, THAI International. They were stakeholders in the country’s first international airline partnering with the government-owned domestic airline, THAI Airways.
One of the first Thais to join the management of the new joint venture airline, Chatrachai quickly impressed his Swedish mentors with his charisma and passion for commercial aviation.
inside no 1 Chatrachai Bunya-Ananta
Chatrachai Bunya-Ananta
He rose through the management ranks to take on the important role of commercial director in the mid 70s pioneering route expansion to Europe, Australia and North America.
Chatrachai held the post of vice president for marketing and later executive vice president (1986) before he was promoted to become the first civilian president of the Thai national carrier.
He was best known for his big picture approach to aviation that recognised the airline had a pivotal role in the nation’s economy and a responsibility to grow Thailand’s tourism industry.
During the years he led THAI, the airline soared up the rankings to share the podium alongside Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines as Asia’s most successful airlines.
It was on par with the best and that continued until his retirement in 1992.
Possibly, his strongest attribute was his ability to be comfortable working with and establishing a dialogue with both western and Asian aviation leaders.
He also had a strong HR vision that gave the airline a pipeline of skilled managers for decades to follow. His management training programme recruited university graduates and created a pool of highly skilled aviation executives, who became key team players across the network.
Before retiring in 1992 he was named the first civilian president a post that had always been held by air chief marshals. It was a major achievement that required exceptional skills to keep air force interference to a minimum, while achieving the airline’s long-term commercial goals.
Journalists will remember Chatrachai for his integrity, and openness.
They were given an open invitation to attend the airline’s annual marketing activity plan (MAP) events, first introduced in 1972. During the two-day events, he invariably ensured journalists had access to the same documents that were circulated to all the airline’s area managers.
Tongue-in-cheek he would announce from the podium: “I know you will steal any documents my executives might leave behind during the first coffee break so we have decided to give you all the manuals. We have nothing to hide.”
It was an open-door era, where journalists were given the time of day even if they were just travel trade media rookies.
“I will give you 30 minutes,” the president would say, much to the dismay of his secretary, who reminded him he had a very busy schedule.
He did too, but he still packed the alloted 30 minutes with remarkable insights. He usually rounded off the session with a broadside for western airlines arguing that they had lost the service delivery plot.
“Asian airlines will come out on top,” he would invariably say at the close of the interview. “We have the destinations that people love to visit and the Thai experience starts the moment you board a TG flight.”
That was the way THAI was run until he retired as president.
Probably the most telling anecdotes that illustrate his down-to-earth approach was the times he joined flight attendants to serve passengers a glass of wine, during a flight to Europe.
They don’t make airline CEOs like that any more. Someone broke the mould.
But if you asked me what legacy Chatrachai left behind for us to mull over, it would be the power of working together as a team.
Whenever there was a military coup, or a national crisis, he would make a telephone call to the Tourism Authority of Thailand governor and Team Thailand sprang into gear, promoting the country with a single, confident voice.
While he had a national airline to run, he recognised the bigger picture; the airline had to take the lead to unite the travel industry to work as one.
Together, TG and TAT offered the industry leadership and together they inspired unprecedented teamwork. It worked a treat when THAI and TAT spearheaded the nation’s launch of the first ever Visit Thailand Year in 1987. It was a resounding recovery story made possible by the strong leadership of a visionary THAI president.
Chatrachai is survived by his wife Shirley and daughter Tania.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia