Thai Airways battles 10,000-bag backlog after Bangkok floods
The airline is also reducing flights while operations recover
[BANGKOK] Thai Airways International is rushing to clear a backlog of nearly 10,000 suitcases at Bangkok’s main international airport, calling in military personnel after severe flooding prevented baggage handlers from getting to work.
Rows of luggage have spilt into the arrivals area at Suvarnabhumi Airport as passengers search for missing bags, adding to travel chaos that has forced Thailand’s flag carrier to cancel dozens of flights. Exhausted ground staff have faced frustrated passengers, with some employees seen crying in the terminal.
The airline needs another three to four days to clear about 8,000 bags remaining from a backlog accumulated between Sep 26 and 28, Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said late Wednesday (Sep 30). About 1,800 have already been returned to passengers, and no new backlog has accumulated since Sep 29, he said.
About 100 Royal Thai Air Force personnel will help unload some 4,000 suitcases still stuck in a transfer area, Phiphat said.
“Some staff couldn’t leave home. It’s a natural disaster,” he said. “It’s not anyone’s intention to not come to work if they could.”
The disruption followed a deluge that dumped more than 12 inches of rain on Bangkok in three days, nearly as much as the capital typically receives during the entire month of September. Flooded roads and neighbourhoods prevented many airline employees from reaching Suvarnabhumi.
Thai Airways CEO Chai Eamsiri said the airline was particularly exposed because Bangkok is its operating base and it handles a much larger volume of flights and cargo there. Work servicing other airlines has been shifted to outside contractors to free up capacity, he said.
The airline is also reducing flights while operations recover. Thai Airways, which normally operates about 115 flights a day, plans 100 on Thursday and 105 on Friday, with Chai aiming to restore normal frequency within seven days. BLOOMBERG
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