The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has welcomed the return of direct flights by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) on the Copenhagen-Bangkok route after a 10-year hiatus, which it hopes will revitalise the long-haul tourism market from Scandinavia.

The Swedish government said on Tuesday that it will not inject new capital into loss-making airline SAS and does not aim to be a long-term shareholder in the company. The announcement, by Industry Minister, Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson, sent its shares down 14% to all-time lows.