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Thai Airways keen to resume direct US flights
Thai Airways International says it is targeting a return to direct flight to the US after the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation recently removed its red flag over the country’s aviation standards.
That red flag imposed in 2015 led to a Federal Aviation Administration downgrade.
With the new ICAO endorsement, Krittaphon Chantalitanon, Thai Airways’ vice-president of alliances and commercial strategy is hopeful the FAA will follow suit and pave the way for new nonstop services to the US.
If that happens, the airline is looking at flights to New York or the West Coast.
"Part of the strategic plan is to have the aircraft that would be able to fly non-stop from Thailand to the US efficiently," he said.
Referring to its battle to curb several years of losses, Krittaphon said "We have been working very hard on cost restructuring. We have to be leaner."
The airline is adding up to 28 aircraft to renew its ageing fleet.
Thai Airways suspended its previous Bangkok-Los Angeles service just months before the FAA downgraded Thai aviation to category 2 in late 2015.
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