BANGKOK – Thai Airways International will make further cuts especially on regional routes, blaming a sharp drop in passenger demand due to the political turmoil in Thailand and the global financial crisis.
”The situation has deteriorated from bad to worse, well beyond our expectation. [It] is becoming more critical for us to reassess our frequencies,” executive vice-president Pandit Chanapai told the Bangkok Post.
THAI’s load factor dropped to 70 percent in the third quarter this year.
”What is terrible about the current political crisis is in its open-ended nature. Unlike 9/11, Sars and the tsunami, we don’t when it will end,” Pandit said.
