Thai Airways International’s (THAI) second vice chairman and acting president, Chakkrit Parapuntakul, said today the airline would conduct its normal business operations while it undergoes a reform plan that was approved by the Thai cabinet and would be implemented "through the business reorganisation chapter under the auspices of the Central Bankruptcy Court of Thailand and the Bankruptcy Act".Read More »
Parapuntakul said in a statement that "although THAI’s reform plan will be implemented and exercised through the business reorganization chapter under the bankruptcy law, THAI will not be dissolved or go into liquidation or be declared bankrupt".
Thailand Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-o-cha, told reporters earlier today moving forward with the THAI rehabilitation was "a difficult decision but it is in the national and public interest", The Bangkok Post reported. General Chan-o-cha said: "With professional management, it will regain its strength. Its staff will keep their jobs and it will be restructured. The court will decide the details."
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand [CAAT] has extended its temporary ban on international passenger flights for another month. The CAAT said in a statement on its website on May 16 the restriction, which was to expire on May 31, was to maintain continuity of the prevention and control measures against the coronavirus in the country.
Finnair chief commercial officer, Ole Orvér, said on Monday (European time) the carrier planned to resume long-haul flights to Asia at the start of July. The airline said in a statement there would be nine Asian routes from its Helsinki hub flying from July, but cautioned some services were subject to government approval. The re-opened routes are Helsinki to Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Osaka Kansai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo Narita. Delhi (August) and Tokyo Haneda (November) will follow alongside Krabi and Phuket during the northern hemisphere winter holiday season.
Japan Airlines' (JAL) monthly traffic figures for April showed international passenger numbers fell 98% to 16,039 in the month, with demand, measured by revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), collapsing 97.4%. The number of domestic passengers on JAL group airlines fell 88.5% to 343,770, and RPKs declined 88.9%.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) carried 34,976 international passengers in April, a 95.8% reduction from 825,062 in the same month a year earlier. Demand, measured by RPKs, was down 89.9%. The monthly report showed ANA had 341,469 domestic passengers in April, a drop of 90%, from 3.43 million in the prior corresponding period. International RPKs were 94.5% lower in the month.
Auckland Airport said on Monday it handled 43,347 passengers in April, down 97.5% from 1.77 million in the prior corresponding period. Tje fogires reflected the impact of the travel restrictions imposed by the New Zealand government to contain the coronavirus pandemic. There were 30,948 international passengers (down 96.5% from the prior year) and 11,373 domestic passengers (down 98.6%), for the month as well as 1,026 transit passengers (down 98.5%).
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Sunday it had extended an order prohibiting domestic and international flights for another two weeks, to May 31. The decision followed the Indian government's recent announcement that the country's restriction of movement rules would remain in place until the end of the month.
The QantasGroup said today it would not implement social distancing inflight, with the airline group's medical director, Ian Hosegood, stating it was not "practical" to do on aircraft. Dr Hosegood said "given the low transmission risk on board, we don’t believe it is necessary in order to be safe". The airline will provide masks and sanitising wipes for passengers and conduct enhanced cleaning of aircraft. It has simplified service and catering to minimise touch points for crew and passengers.
