THAI needs restructuring if it is to survive in the highly competitive aviation business, the airline’s president Sumeth Damrongchaitham said Friday. He added that THAI has already appointed an advisory team to see what changes are needed in terms of flight schedules and its tie-ups with other airlines that are part of Team Thailand, such as Thai Smile, Nok Air and Bangkok Airways. “The advisory team will take 2 months to finalise the study and offer a proposal for our new flight schedule for 2020,” Sumeth said. Under the restructuring, THAI will focus more on the international market and link up with other members of the Team Thailand for local flights, he said. “The new schedules will ensure passengers have enough time to catch connecting flights," Sumeth added. <br/>
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Turkey’s president said his govt may have to “rethink” existing orders for Boeing airplanes worth about US$10b, in comments that reflect the country’s strained ties with the US. Turkey’s hesitation on the Boeing order adds to tension created when the country ordered a missile defence system from Russia, spurning an offer for Ankara to buy US air-defence missiles. “I’ve told Mr. Trump in Osaka that even if Turkey’s not buying Patriots, it’s buying Boeings. We’re good customers,” president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday in Ankara, referring to Raytheon’s Patriot systems. “But if it goes on like this, we’ll have to rethink about this issue.” Erdogan spoke with president Trump at the G-20 summit, during which he reminded him of existing orders for 100 Boeing jets by Turkish Airlines. <br/>
Star Alliance and IT specialist NEC Corp have signed a partnership agreement to develop a biometric data-based identification platform that will improve the travel experience for frequent flyer passengers of the alliance’s member airlines. The partners plan to introduce the first biometric solution at a Star Alliance airport hub by Q1 2020, giving passengers who opt-in—via their mobile devices—a seamless and hands-free passenger experience. They will be able to pass through check-in kiosks, bag-drop, lounges and boarding gates by using a secure identity management solution featuring facial recognition technology instead of a passport and boarding pass. The platform will also help airlines and airports improve operational efficiency, Star Alliance and NEC said. <br/>