Thai AirAsia: Airlines await 'travel bubbles' for flights

Airlines are eager to fly internationally again as soon as bilateral agreements between countries with low coronavirus risk are settled, as the aviation industry continues to struggle with unprecedented financial stagnation. Santisuk Klongchaiya, CE of Thai AirAsia (TAA), said the airline is ready to resume international flights once "travel bubbles" are successfully created and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) gives its stamp of approval to let international flights resume. He said he agrees with the government's plan to stimulate domestic travel to kick-start the overall economy. TAA is planning to add more routes to leisure destinations after the airline resumed four flights a day from Bangkok to Phuket. "Most travel now is for business purposes," Santisuk said. "When the leisure market comes back at a faster speed in July, we will offer special airfares to respond to upcoming demand and to compete with other airlines." TAA aims to carry 11m passengers this year, a massive reduction from 22.15m in 2019. In May, TAA's load factor closed at 80% from 120-seat capacity under social distancing practices. The airline operated at 15% of total capacity with up to seven aircraft. On the subject of long-awaited soft loans, Santisuk said that while TAA's liquidity is sufficient, state financial aid would help support operations.<br/>