THAI Prepares to Temporarily Cancel Flights and Initiates Cost Controlling Program

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) has made a statement regarding the preparation to temporarily cancel flights and response plans to the coronavirus outbreak.

 

THAI states that it is in the process of implementing measures to effectively manage the impact from coronavirus outbreak by establishing a working group on problem resolution to supervise and monitor closely to deal with current situations which still show no sign of relief but even more severe in Europe and many countries.

As a result, THAI had implemented a measure to reduce flights and traffic production in accordance with the decreased number of passengers reflecting the operations of the company.

However, the current situation of the coronavirus is still intensifying in all regions throughout the world causing each country to increase preventive measures including screening by local Ministries of Public Health and Civil Aviation Organizations as well as national lockdown.

THAI, therefore, has to prepare a response plan in tighter measures by temporarily cancelling flights along with a cost controlling program by reducing both variable and fixed costs to reflect the gradual cancellation of such flights. However, THAI also provides freight services on certain routes and may arrange special flights if there are a lot of passengers left behind and has been coordinated by relevant government agencies.

Moreover, THAI’s supporting activities still continue to operate for customer airlines with business guidelines during this period to have the least impact on the stakeholders.

 

Yesterday, THAI announced that due to the ongoing global outbreak of coronavirus, several countries in Europe and Asia have intensely increased preventive measures including screening by local Ministries of Public Health and Civil Aviation Organizations as well as national lockdown. Therefore, THAI has prepared its plans and temporarily suspended its operations on the following flights.

1) Starting on 25 March 2020: Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo (Narita and Haneda), Osaka, Nagoya, Seoul, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Yangon, Singapore, Jakarta, Denpasar, Kunming, Xiamen, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Karachi, Kathmandu, Lahore, Dhaka, Islamabad, and Colombo. For domestic flights to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Krabi will be transferred and operated by THAI Smile.

2) Starting on 27 March 2020: Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth

3) Starting on 1 April 2020: THAI will cancel most of its flights to Europe which are London, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen, Oslo, Moscow and Stockholm

THAI previously suspended flights to Sendai, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Busan, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Rome, Milan, Vienna, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Muscat, Dubai, and Auckland.

 

To facilitate customers, THAI allows passengers holding THAI and THAI Smile code-share flights air tickets, issued before 25 March 2020 with the following date of travel, to convert unused tickets to one-year valid travel voucher without fee and surcharges:

– Asian Routes during 25 March – 31 May 2020

– European, Australian and New Zealand Routes during 1 April – 31 May 2020

 

Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) members holding award tickets issued to travel during 25 March – 31 May 2020 may fully re-credit mileages or change the travel date without any fee or charge with expired miles extended until 30 September 2020.

Passengers may check flight schedules and make changes to itineraries themselves on thaiairways.com website. For ticket adjustments or more information, ROP members can contact THAI Sales Offices or visit thaiairways.com/rop.

THAI still operates cargo service in some routes and will operate charter flights if there are stranded passengers or requested by government agencies concerned. The company will inform passengers accordingly if there is some flight adjustment.