Chai Eamsiri says no reason given for Thai Airways CEO removal

Former Thai Airways chief executive Chai Eamsiri says he was not given a clear reason for his removal after the airline’s board voted on Friday to relieve him of his duties as chief executive with immediate effect.

Chai will remain a director of Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) while a fact-finding investigation is conducted into the operational disruption that affected the airline.

Speaking after the board meeting, Chai said management had presented updates on the flooding and its impact on the airline’s operations, as well as progress in resolving the problems.

Towards the end of the meeting, the company’s non-executive directors continued discussions without him because he was the only executive director present.

He was subsequently informed that the board had decided to remove him as CEO while retaining him as a company director during the investigation.

Chai says reasons were not explained

Asked why the board had removed him, Chai said he had not been given a clear explanation.

He also said he did not yet know who would sit on the fact-finding committee or what specific issues it would investigate.

Based on his own understanding, he believed the investigation could focus on why the situation had been allowed to escalate, why the company had been unable to limit the impact or halt the disruption, and why its crisis-management plan had not been activated as intended.

However, Chai stressed that this was only his own assessment because the board had not yet provided him with formal details.

Removal comes as operations near normal

Chai said his removal came as Thai Airways’ operations were close to returning to normal after management and employees had worked to resolve the disruption.

He suggested the board might view the damage already caused separately from the subsequent efforts to restore operations.

“The incident had already happened and the damage had already been done, including to the company’s reputation, operations and customers,” Chai said. “The board may see the efforts to fix the situation as a separate issue.”

He added that dealing with the aftermath was part of his responsibility as CEO and that the airline had been working intensively to bring operations back to normal.

Baggage backlog nearly cleared

Chai said Thai Airways had mobilised additional staff to tackle the large backlog of delayed baggage, setting up an operations centre and bringing in dozens of employees to assist.

The airline also expanded its call centre capacity from two lines to 24, while volunteers from several agencies, including military personnel, joined efforts to sort and process the baggage.

Chai said most of the baggage backlog was expected to be cleared within the following two days.

Baggage waiting at the airport for collection or delivery was expected to be largely processed first, while transfer baggage bound for overseas destinations remained more complicated because it had to be matched with onward flights and processed through transfer procedures.

Some remaining cases could take longer because passengers had provided travel agents’ contact details rather than their own, requiring the airline to search reservation systems for additional information before contacting them.

Chai declines to discuss passenger compensation

Asked about compensation for affected passengers, Chai said he could no longer provide details because he was no longer chief executive.

He also said questions about who would serve as acting CEO or take responsibility for resolving the remaining problems should be directed to the board.

Chai maintained that he had been working at the airline’s operations centre since Sunday and had never blamed employees or subordinates for the crisis.

He said he had received no prior indication that the company intended to remove him and had not been given advance warning during the meeting.

He added that he learned of the board’s decision through news reports before he had even returned to the meeting room.

“I found out from the news. When I was not in the final part of the meeting, I saw the board’s resolution in the news before I had even walked back to the room,” he said.

Chai said the chairman formally communicated the resolution in accordance with procedure, but stressed that the decision was made by the board as a whole rather than by the chairman alone.

Scope of investigation still unclear

Chai said he still did not know who would chair the fact-finding committee or the precise scope of its investigation.

From his understanding, the inquiry could examine why the disruption escalated, why its impact could not be reduced and why the company’s crisis-management plan was not activated as intended.

He declined to say whether the process was fair.

Chai said that from the perspective of the person under investigation it might appear unfair, while the board could consider an investigation necessary for transparency and good corporate governance.

Whether other executives or employees involved in the airline’s operations would also be investigated would be for the board to decide, he added.

Asked about speculation that internal political factors could have played a role in the leadership change, Chai declined to comment, saying he could not say whether politics had been a determining factor.

“I have worked in this industry for 41 years and have worked extremely hard over the past six years,” Chai said. “I thank Thai Airways employees, and I have already left many things behind for the company.”