Thai Airways airport service sloppy, says transport minister

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit on Tuesday threatened to terminate a contract with Thai Airways International (THAI) unless it improves the quality of its ground service at Suvarnabhumi airport. Speaking after a meeting with airport service operators, Suriya said the ministry had received complaints about the poor quality of the ground service provided by several airlines and businesses. In response, a meeting was convened with two operators - THAI Ground and Bangkok Flight Services. Suriya said the discussions showed the service quality problem was due to inadequate equipment and a lack of qualified staff due to a high turnover rate. He instructed the two operators to shape up or face having their contracts terminated early - especially Thai Airways, which still has 12 years remaining on it. As a short-term measure, Airports of Thailand (AOT) Ground Aviation Services will be hired to provide ground service as the two operators work to improve their service quality, said Suriya. "The ministry will assess the operation on a monthly basis. Thai has 12 years to go before its contract expires and that can be terminated if the firm is unable to deliver the service as required," he said. He said airlines were advised to switch to the SAT-1 terminal during repair work on the other taxiways, but they were reluctant to do so due to concerns about the luggage-handling system there. The minister said airport management, especially ground service and luggage handling, must be improved if Thailand is to welcome more passengers and flights and achieve its goal of becoming the region's aviation hub.<br/>