Thailand: Covid-19 under control but Thai flag carrier airline sees continued huge loss in Q3

BANGKOK, Nov 12 (Xinhua): Thailand has the best Covid-19 control throughout Asian and even the world. But global pandemic which has created havoc in the tourism industry of Thailand, continues to create more hectic issues for the country.

Thailand's flag carrier airline Thai Airways International (THAI) saw continued huge loss in the third quarter of this year largely due to the impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, said its acting president Chansin Treenuchakorn on Thursday (Nov 12).

The THAI company suffered US$516.26 million in losses as its operating costs totalled US$639.22 million in the quarter, he said.

The loss-ridden airline made some US$122.96 million in earnings mostly from international cargo flights during the period, marking a steep drop of US$1.24 billion, or 95.1 per cent, from the same period last year, according to the acting THAI president.

Such critical losses of the financially ailing airline were largely blamed on the suspension of international passenger flights amid the global pandemic, according to Chansin.

Given the sharp decline in the number of international flights, the airline has put more than 400 categories of its consumer goods that are used aboard flights, for sale to members of the public, ranging from coffee cups and tissue paper to second-hand Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

Meanwhile, some 5,000 out of the cash-strapped company's 19,000 employees have offered to take early retirement from Dec 1 to help ease its financial burdens.

Thailand's Central Bankruptcy Court has earlier ordered the THAI airline company to carry out financial rehabilitation and debt repayment.

In another development, The Nation Thailand reported that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Thursday (Nov 12) reported five new cases in quarantine over a 24-hour period.

The latest cases are: a 30-year-old Thai female student (who returned from Sweden on Nov 5); a 45-year-old Thai welder (who came home from Iran on Nov 5); a 58-year-old Thai male merchant (who returned from Kenya on Nov 9); a 65-year-old Thai woman( who arrived from Switzerland on Nov 7); and a 70-year-old German man (who arrived on Nov 5).

Meanwhile, eight patients have recovered and been discharged. As of Thursday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand has increased to 3,894 (889 in state quarantine). Of these, 99 are in hospital and 3,693 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains at 60.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am the number of confirmed global cases has increased to 52.4 million (rising by 613,436 in 24 hours). Of these, 36.67 million have recovered, 14.47 million are active cases (95,071 in severe condition) and 1.29 million have died (an increase of 10,180).Thailand ranks a safe 149th for most cases in the world.

The US has the most number, with 10.7 million, followed by India (8.68 million), Brazil (5.74 million), France (1.86 million) and Russia (1.83 million).