THAI tickets to stay valid till end 2021

Thai Airways International (THAI) says tickets will remain valid until the end of next year or can be converted to travel vouchers valid until the end of 2022.

THAI's acting president Chansin Treenuchagron said the measure is to provide an assurance to customers as the airline is undergoing debt-rehabilitation proceedings and flights remain suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier, the national carrier said it had to put refund requests from customers on hold pending the rehab plan to be submitted to the Central Bankruptcy Court on Monday.

Unused tickets remain valid until December 2021 or can be turned into travel vouchers while those seeking refunds can convert their tickets to travel vouchers which will be valid until December 2022, according to Mr Chansin.

Royal Orchid Plus membership will be automatically extended until December 2022.

Mr Chansin said he is hopeful about the national carrier's prospects even though the aviation industry worldwide is struggling due to the pandemic, noting that THAI is looking forward to resuming flights later this year or early next year.

Acting Executive Vice President for Commerce Wiwat Piyawiroj on Friday advised passengers whose flights have been cancelled to convert tickets to travel vouchers which can be used with THAI and Thai Smile to and from any worldwide destination.

Earlier, Mr Chansin said six members of THAI's board of directors will be nominated to execute the airline's debt-rehabilitation plan and their names will be submitted to the Central Bankruptcy Court on Monday.

THAI's total outstanding debt currently stands at about 244.9 billion baht.

Last month, the flag-carrier announced a huge fall in passenger numbers, with only about 3.5 million passengers carried in the first five months of the year.

The airline's load factor, which stood at about 78% in the same period last year, tumbled to 69%.

The passenger figures were taken before THAI suspended all its international and domestic flights in early May due to the Covid-19 pandemic.