Thai Airways: pandemic delivers final blow to mismanaged carrier

These days, Bangkok's normally bustling main international airport feels like a museum dedicated to displaying Boeing and Airbus jets owned by Thai Airways International, with the carrier's fleet largely grounded. The mixed collection of Boeing 747-400s, Airbus A330s, Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A380s sitting silently on the tarmac or inside hangars at Suvarnabhumi Airport might appeal to aviation enthusiasts and photographers looking for a rare and dramatic shot. But the inertness of the fleet highlights not just the impact of COVID-19 but the airline's decades of financial inefficiency. "Thai Airways troubles started in the 1990s when it decided to diversify and buy every type of plane that was being manufactured," said an airline industry insider in Thailand. Different models have different specs using different engines, forcing the airline to train an army of engineers to keep the General Electric and Rolls-Royce engines flightworthy, inflating maintenance costs. The inefficiency manifest at Suvarnabhumi is just one part of a history of mismanagement, corruption, and political interference that has now plunged the airline into overhaul proceedings. The kingdom's Bankruptcy Court on Wednesday accepted a petition from Thai, as the airline is commonly known, for rehabilitation under the court's supervision, with the first hearing scheduled for August. Story has more background.<br/>