Thailand: Airlines band together for survival, travel pass

Seven airlines in Thailand have formed an association to deal with the pandemic and pave the way for vaccine passport cooperation. Bangkok Airways president Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth said the Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) has set a long-term goal of elevating the aviation industry in Thailand. However, the short-term priority is the soft loan request the Finance Ministry is considering. "The domestic market seemed to improve after the lockdown relaxation was implemented nationwide, but it's still a far cry from the numbers seen prior to the latest outbreak," said Puttipong. "It may take some time to get back to 100%." The founding members of AAT are Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Thai Smile Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai Vietjet. The group submitted the soft loan proposal to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in late August last year, but there has still been no response from the government. Puttipong, acting as the initial president of AAT, said after the group's first meeting on Tuesday executives representing each of the founding member airlines also discussed the national reopening plan and the readiness of airlines to take part in the plan. "The vaccine passport is an important agenda item we'll push forward with the government," he said. "Airlines are ready to support border reopening."<br/>