This month, Thai AirAsia X will have its rehabilitation plan ready.
By the end of this year, the airline wants to start offering refunds to customers.
By the end of the next month, Thai AirAsia X plans to implement its rehabilitation strategy. Tassapon Bijleveld, the chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia, has stated that talks with a number of creditors are ongoing but should be finished by the middle of April. He thinks that if the talks are concluded quickly, the airline would be able to start refunding and compensating passengers by the year’s end.
The battles Thai AirAsia is facing as it files for bankruptcy
Operations were halted twice by Thai AirAsia, once in early 2020 and once more in 2021. This was mostly brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on travel. Several passengers were left without any quick compensation for canceled flights as a result of the suspension of operations.
Some travelers claimed they had been waiting up to three years for refunds. According to Tassapon, more than 50% of reimbursements have already been distributed, and the airline plans to make up for the remaining passengers within the following four to five months.
Also, those who have been waiting for refunds will receive compensation. According to Tassapon, those travelers will receive an additional flight voucher of THB2,000 ($58.00 USD) as compensation.
Thai AirAsia filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2022. The airline claimed that filing for bankruptcy protection will help Thai AirAsia manage the debts brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the stoppage of operations. At the time, Chief Executive Patima Jeerapaet said:
We guarantee that this process will not have an impact on our passenger services or flight plans. Passengers who have already booked or are looking to book our flights will be able to fly to South Korea and Japan starting this June 2022. Thai AirAsia X also has further plans for expansion and will be adding flight frequencies and new routes in line with demand.
Restoration of Thai AirAsia
After seeking bankruptcy protection, Thai AirAsia started restarting some of its flights and aiming to increase the size of its operations. The following month, the airline restored service to Seoul Incheon and Tokyo Narita. During that year, it also relaunched service to Osaka Kansai and Sapporo Chitose.
The airline now offers service to eight locations across five nations. According to Tassapon, the airline’s current flight capacity is roughly 50% lower than it was before the outbreak. Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA), also discussed the rising numbers. In February 2023, there were 16.9 million passengers traveling inside Asia. This is an increase of 645% from the prior year. Menon stated:
High demand for travel will keep driving the recovery in passenger traffic in 2023 as pre-pandemic flight frequencies and city connections are gradually reinstated.
Twelve wide-body aircraft were being operated by Thai AirAsia prior to the COVID-19 epidemic. After it was recently announced that one more Airbus A330-300 would be retired from service, this was down to five Airbus A330-300s. Several flights have lately been canceled as a result of this unserviceable aircraft.
