Thai Airways suspends unprofitable US flights

BANGKOK – Thailand’s beleaguered national airline said Monday it will suspend flights to the U.S. as part of efforts to end years of losses.

The airline will suspend the unprofitable four roundtrip flights per week from Bangkok to Los Angeles and from Bangkok to Rome, starting October 25, Thai Airways President Jarumporn Chotikasathein said in a statement.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

He said the two routes “failed to meet every criterion” for viability including their 10-year performance, market potential and the number of connecting passengers.

State-owned Thai Airways cancelled its non-stop flights from Bangkok to Los Angeles in 2012, adding a layover in Seoul. Four years earlier, the airline called off its non-stop service to New York.

Services on profitable routes to London and Frankfurt will be doubled to 14 flights per week, Jarumporn said.

He said the flight schedule changes and other measures were being introduced after the state-owned carrier entered a rehabilitation plan earlier this year. Its losses have swelled in recent years.

The carrier posted a net loss of 15.6 billion baht ($445 million) last year, about 30 per cent higher than 2013.