Tourism minister tells Thai Airways chief to resign if 'unwilling' to fix baggage delays
Thailand’s tourism minister urges Thai Airways Chief executive Chai Eamsiri to consider resigning if unwilling to fix baggage delays, warning of harm to tourism confidence.
- Thailand's Tourism and Sports Minister, Surasak Phancharoenworakul, has publicly called for the chief executive of Thai Airways to resign if he is unwilling to resolve severe baggage backlogs and flight delays.
- The minister argued that the airline's management failures are damaging the country's tourism reputation and accused the airline of prioritizing ground-handling services for other carriers over its own passengers.
- Surasak also alleged that Thai Airways failed to cooperate with military personnel sent to assist and urged the finance minister, a major shareholder, to convene the airline's board to address the crisis.
Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul appeared to call on Thai Airways chief executive Chai Eamsiri to consider stepping aside if unwilling to tackle the airline’s baggage backlog and flight delays. In remarks on September 29, Surasak questioned whether an approaching end of term was a reason for inaction and said those unprepared to address the problems should make way for others.
“The management needs to be more proactive. If he thinks he can do nothing because his term is nearly over, I don’t think that is acceptable. If he doesn't want to do the job, he should consider his position quickly so another who wants to can help improve things,” Surasak said.
Surasak did not name Chai Eamsiri, but his reference to an approaching end of term suggested that his remarks were directed at the Thai Airways chief executive.
Surasak warned that the disruption was seriously damaging Thailand’s reputation and confidence in tourism, adding that he had experienced the problems himself after returning from Japan on a Thai Airways flight.
Surasak calls for finance minister to convene Thai Airways board
Surasak urged the finance minister to convene Thai Airways’ board to address the disruption and its consequences. Although the airline operates as a private company, the Ministry of Finance remains a major shareholder, Surasak noted.
Surasak questions Thai Airways’ staffing priorities
Flooding had prevented some Thai Airways employees from reaching work, Surasak acknowledged, but he argued that the airline’s lack of management preparedness was the principal reason the disruption had become so severe.
Surasak said he suspected that Thai Airways had prioritised ground-handling services for other airlines to avoid penalties under its contracts, leaving passengers on its own flights facing the most severe delays.
Suvarnabhumi Airport said the flight delays were linked to the airline’s technical and management problems, rather than weather conditions preventing flights from operating.
In a separate explanation of the disruption, Thai Airways chief executive Chai Eamsiri attributed the problems to flood-related staff shortages and the combined workload of handling both the airline’s own flights and those of customer airlines. Chai said customer airlines had also experienced baggage backlogs, although Thai Airways had been more severely affected.
Surasak alleges poor coordination with military helpers
Surasak said other agencies brought in to help had reported a lack of initiative and cooperation from Thai Airways. Military personnel sent by the Ministry of Defence to move baggage had not been provided with food or accommodation, forcing them to return to their units for meals, he alleged.
“Every agency has tried to help, but Thai Airways has not responded or cooperated well. This is not only causing inconvenience to passengers but also damaging the country’s image and reputation,” Surasak said.
Flood-related staff shortages triggered baggage backlog
The Thai Airways baggage backlog developed after heavy rain and flooding disrupted staff journeys to Suvarnabhumi Airport. In a September 28 update, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said some baggage handlers could not reach their shifts, forcing colleagues to work longer and leaving passengers on some flights waiting four to six hours for their luggage.
By September 29, Thai Airways said it was returning baggage from 52 flights operated on September 26–27. The airline also reported that 34 flights had been delayed on September 28. Khaosod English
Thai Airways has apologised to passengers and deployed additional staff and resources to sort and deliver the bags. Passengers who registered their details can have their luggage delivered to their homes or hotels, with staff contacting them to confirm the information before dispatch.
