THAI suffers from swine flu scare

Chang Mai, Thailand (eTN) – According to the latest breaking news of the Bangkok Post newspaper, Thai Airways International faces a sharp fall in passenger numbers from eastern Asia because of the Inf

Chang Mai, Thailand (eTN) – According to the latest breaking news of the Bangkok Post newspaper, Thai Airways International faces a sharp fall in passenger numbers from eastern Asia because of the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak.

THAI executive board chairman Wallop Bhukkanasut said on Wednesday that the swine flu scare had directly affected the airline industry.

The number of passengers from eastern Asian countries like China, Japan and Korea had plummeted by approximately 15 to 20 per cent, causing the airline to turn more to the European market, he said.

“THAI has just launched its first route to Oslo in Norway, and the average number of passengers for each flight has increased by 80 per cent,” Mr Wallop said.

The airline had acquired two new Airbus A330-300 planes. The company was expected to acquire six new planes this year and another two in 2010.

“The new planes would be used for the flights to Australia, Japan and other appropriate destinations,” he said.

But the next question is, if Europeans will stop flying to Thailand, if the swine flu epidemic continues unabated?

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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