Thai Airways to implement 40% of planned 5,000 job cuts this year: source

[BANGKOK] Thai Airways International Pcl aims to cut 2,000 jobs through a voluntary retirement scheme in 2015, a senior company official said - part of its plan to reduce headcount by 5,000 in the coming years.

The state-controlled flag carrier announced in January a major restructuring after posting operating losses for seven consecutive quarters. It is also looking at selling non-core assets.

The voluntary retirement scheme will exclude pilots and cabin crew, and applicants must be 50 years old or more, the official told Reuters. He declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to media.

The scheme offers compensation of at least 30 months of wages, local media reported, citing Kanok Thongpurk, the airline's vice-president for human resources and management.

This year's 2,000 job cuts come on top of an undisclosed number targeted in a separate early retirement plan that was announced late last year, they added.

REUTERS