BANGKOK (AFP/REUTERS): Thailand's flag carrier Thai Airways sacked its chief executive on Friday following flight delays and baggage backlogs linked to Bangkok flooding, local media reported.
The country's tourism minister had slammed the airline's response to the floods, which were declared a city-wide disaster on Saturday.
Thai Airways' chief executive, Chai Eamsiril, had apologised on behalf of the company and pledged to clear more than 5,000 bags from the airline's flights left at Bangkok's main Suvarnabhumi airport.
But the media, including Thai PBS reported that the board removed him on Friday with immediate effect. The airport had blamed baggage issues on staff being unable to get to work.
“They didn’t give a reason,” Chai told reporters, referring to the board of the carrier, which met on Friday (Oct 2). “They want to see if there are gaps... mistakes in the work carried out.”
Thai Airways said in a filing to the stock exchange on the same day that Chai had been suspended pending a fact-finding investigation and review of its crisis management procedures, with director Sumrid Sumneing appointed acting CEO.
Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul suggested Thai Airways management resign if they could not address the delays, arguing they were damaging Thailand's reputation and hurting its key tourism sector.
The airline had been forced to cancel dozens of flights this week and suspend its cargo operations, partly due to issues with its employees being unable to get to work when the floods hit last week.
Disruption to its operations at the main Suvarnabhumi Airport included huge baggage delays that required assistance from the Air Force to clear.
Bangkok last weekend was declared a flood disaster after almost 48 hours of continuous rain, and some parts of the city remained under water Friday.
Four people died, among at least two dozen killed in floods across the Southeast Asian country.
The airline said it cut 24 flights across Thursday and Friday and was preparing to operate its full schedule on Saturday.
It apologised to passengers and pledged to improve management procedures.
Chai joined the carrier in 1985 and became chief executive in February 2023. -
For the record,As of June 30, the airline operated a total of 84 aircraft covering 61 destinations in 27 countries.
In 2020, Thai Airways went into bankruptcy-protected restructuring, reducing its workforce by half and trimming its fleet, but went on to mount a turnaround in its finances. Its shares resumed trading on the stock market in August, after exiting its debt restructuring programme.
- AFP / REUTERS
