No surprise that one of the biggest industries to suffer from the border closures and travel restrictions was the airlines. Whilst there has been a gradual reboot of domestic travel within Thailand, there is still a 'fear' factor and reticence to travel. And the carriers are restricted to the domestic routes and have lost an entire sector of their businesses – the international flights. Things are not looking good, particularly for the Thai budget airlines. The Covid-19 pandemic crippled the industry and some say they're barely surviving. They say the Thai PM promised a lifeline of billions of baht in soft loans, but he hasn't followed up. At the same time, tax reductions on jet fuel are ending, which will dramatically increase operating costs. Last month, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha agreed to allocate 24 billion baht in soft loans to 7 of Thailand's domestic budget airlines, but there's been no word on how or when the money would be allocated. Thai AirAsia, Thai Smile (the domestic 'budget' offshoot of Thai Airways), Thai Lion Air, Thai Viet Jet, Bangkok Airways and Nok Air all requested aid. Although nothing has been said yet, Thai AirAsia officials expect to hear more details by next… Read full this story
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