THAI Announces Future Plans

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited held a press conference to announce plans for privatization.

The conference was chaired by Mr. Pracha Maleenont, Transport and Communications Deputy Minister, Mr. Chai-anan Samudavanija, THAI’s Chairman, Mr. Soonthorn Pokachaipipat, Chairman of THAI’s Executive Committee and Mr. Bhisit Kuslasayanon, THAI’s President.

Mr. Chai-anan Samudavanija said during the press conference that, “I have become Chairman of the Board of Directors at Thai Airways International Public Company Limited at a time when the commercial aviation industry is changing at a dizzying pace. As the national carrier of Thailand, THAI competes with airlines worldwide in an ever-growing aviation industry which depends heavily on global as well as regional economic growth. In addition, airline alliances are developing rapidly and are changing the whole concept of air travel for today’s airline passengers, especially affecting frequent flyers, both tourists and business travellers.

In order to ensure continual growth, any business must focus on maintaining the quality of its products and services in a constantly-changing competitive environment. In addition, a company needs to be alert to the necessity of making improvements to serve specific target markets in order to achieve and maintain a competitive edge in the industry. Expansion which focuses on quantity, while ignoring the importance of quality, may leave us in a situation that is, as the saying goes, just “more of the same”.

As the national carrier, Thai International – and what we can achieve – is a source of great pride for the Thai public; THAI evokes passionate feelings among Thai people from all walks of life – feelings that are sometimes freely expressed. And as a public company, it is our essential responsibility to our shareholders and investors to provide a competitive return from our operations. We seek to serve the genuine interests of the Thai people and of the international community for being the “The First Choice Carrier: Smooth as Silk, First Time, Every Time.”

The new Board of Directors is strongly committed to improving the quality of THAI’s services, by providing a standard of in-flight products and services that will keep us at the leading edge of industry trends. We also seek to improve our operational efficiency through various measures, including rationalising the number of types of aircraft and engines, increasing the rates of asset utlisation, managing better major operational cost areas such as fuel, and adopting a network type of traffic planning, taking true origins and destinations of passengers into consideration which will enable us to compete more effectively in the new airline industry environment, as well as to increase the productivity of our employees. We strive to become a truly international organisation while maintaining our distinctive Thai identity – the uniqueness that has attracted and delighted successive generations of air travellers. This emerging international organisation will not only be a learning organisation, but it will also be one with good governance.

We have the utmost confidence that THAI’s employees are both able and willing to make this historic turnaround possible. We can again be “The First Choice Carrier” for this and for future generations, contributing to our society both as a business enterprise and as a source of pride for all Thai people as a modern Thai organisation in the 21st century.”