Thai Airways reports recovery in passenger numbers

In just two weeks after the resumption of flight operations at Bangkok’s two main airports, the national carrier, Thai Airways, is reporting a recovery in passenger traffic numbers.

The rapid recovery, particularly on long-haul routes, is pleasing to executives at the airline who were concerned about the impact of the occupation of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports by anti-government protesters from 25 November to 2 December, shutting down all commercial service.

Regional route recovery is somewhat slower, with decreased demand still being seen in major Asian markets, including China, Japan and South Korea.

Intercontinental traffic – from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America – has shown the greatest resilience, according to the executive vice president of Thai Airlines, Pandit Chanapai.

Since Suvarnabhumi airport officially reopened on 5 December, the cabin factor on intercontinental flights has increased from 40 per cent to 65 per cent, although it is still somewhat below the 70 per cent level that had been predicted prior to the airport seizures.

“What delighted us is that over the past few days we began to see new bookings from the intercontinental market coming into our system, while those reservations that had been affected by the airport closures were returning,” the airline executive said.

He described the returning passengers as “diehard” visitors to Thailand, who like the country and have been understanding of the country’s recent political situation.

Thanks to www.bangkokpost.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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