Getting Thais out of Israel is becoming more difficult, after the Israeli government tightened up security in the country and at its airports, admitted a top Thai Airways International (THAI) executive.
THAI chief executive officer Chai Eamsiri said yesterday (Wednesday) that two airlines, without mentioning their names, are unable to fly to Tel Aviv due to the increased security adding, however, that THAI does not have problem repatriating Thais, but is having to adjust its plans by flying to other airports in United Arab Emirates or Jordan to pick up them up, instead of at the airport in Tel Aviv.
Thai Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Israel have been trying to solve this problem, he assured.
A Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Airbus 340- 500 left Bangkok Wednesday night to pick up 140 Thais in the United Arab Emirates. The flight, the 4th by the RTAF, is due back in Bangkok today (Thursday).
As for THAI operations, Chai said that the war between Israel and Hamas has not yet affected the airline’s services in the Middle East and Europe, noting that advance ticket bookings on routes to Europe and Australia for the fourth quarter average about 70% of capacity and peak at about 80%, while bookings for flights between Thailand and China average about 50%.
Earlier this week, the Thai cabinet assigned Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit to head the committee tasked with solving THAI’s financial and internal problems.
Chai said that THAI has been updating the cabinet on regular basis on the progress of the rehabilitation plan for the airline.
The airline has been placed under a court-sanctioned rehabilitation plan, after it sustained heavy losses exacerbated by COVID pandemic.
