Thai Airways CEO Says Board Fired Him After Bangkok Flood Chaos
Chai Eamsiri said the board gave no reason, while the airline told the stock exchange he was suspended pending an investigation after floods forced dozens of flight cancellations.
BANGKOK, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Thai Airways, Chai Eamsiri, said on Friday he had been fired by the company's board following the flag carrier's chaotic response to the heavy floods that hit Bangkok last week.
• "They didn't give a reason," Chai told reporters, referring to the board of the carrier, which met on Friday. "They want to see if there are gaps... mistakes in the work carried out."
• Thai Airways said in a filing to the stock exchange late on Friday that Chai had been suspended pending a fact-finding investigation and review of its crisis management procedures, with director Sumrid Sumneing appointed acting CEO.
• The airline had been forced to cancel dozens of flights this week and suspend its cargo operations, partly due to issues with its employees being unable to get to work when the floods hit last week.
• Disruption to its operations at the main Suvarnabhumi Airport included huge baggage delays that required assistance from the Air Force to clear.
• Bangkok was declared a disaster-affected zone at the weekend after receiving 320 mm (12.6 inches) of rain over three days, as much as it typically receives in all of September.
• Thai Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul singled out Thai Airways for rebuke on Tuesday, telling reporters: "If they don't want to do the job, then resign."
• Chai, who has publicly apologised for the chaos that hit the airline's Suvarnabhumi operations, joined the carrier in 1985, rising through the ranks to become its chief financial officer before being appointed CEO in 2023.
• As of June 30, the airline operated a total of 84 aircraft covering 61 destinations in 27 countries.
• In 2020, Thai Airways went into bankruptcy-protected restructuring, reducing its workforce by half and trimming its fleet, but went on to mount a turnaround in its finances. Its shares resumed trading on the stock market in August, after exiting its debt restructuring programme.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu Wongcha-um and Devjyot Ghoshal; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway)
