THAI confident of returning to profits
Thai Airways International would fly back to profitability by the end of this year, its chairman said yesterday.
"I’m pleased with the business performance of THAI in the past two months,’’ Ampon Kittiampon said.
In particular, THAI Smile, the new sub-brand of THAI, showed good performance, he said.
The national carrier’s cabin factor from June-July averaged 75-85 per cent in its major markets of South Korea, China, Japan and India. Even in Europe, which is struggling with a stubborn financial crisis, its cabin factor remained high at more than 70 per cent. This was a good sign for its future performance.
During the period, Ampon said he worked "cohesively" with the management team to drive the operation. The successful recovery could also be partly attributed to the marketing strategy that has kept a closer focus on "proper ticket prices" with good service.
He had promised to make the airline profitable again after it suffered a loss of Bt10.2 billion last year. However, the carrier faces future risks, especially volatile oil prices and the economic downturn in Europe.
He was speaking on Wednesday at the pre-launch of the Airbus A380-800. The first of six superjumbos will join the fleet on September 27. The new aircraft would help strengthen its operation in the competitive business.
Three superjumbos will be delivered during the winter schedule and two more next year. The first one will start serving the Bangkok-Hong Kong and Bangkok-Singapore routes on October 6.
After the second aircraft arrives around mid-December, it will be deployed on the Bangkok-Frankfurt and Bangkok-Hong Kong routes. Next year will see the inauguration of the Bangkok-Narita route in January and the Bangkok-Paris route in February.
The THAI configuration of biggest civilian plane in the world can accommodate 507 passengers in three classes – royal first, royal silk and economy.
Now, bookings are allowed and the airline claims to be getting a good response from passengers.
