Thailand’s Flag Carrier Recognized as the Best Southeast Asian Airline

(10/10/2011)

Thailand’s national airline, Thai Airways International, has been awarded the best Southeast Asian airline and best airline business class by Travel Trade Gazette. The award presentation took place at the 22nd Annual TTG Travel Awards 2011 Ceremony and Gala Dinner, held at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Center at CentralWorld in Bangkok. The annual TTG Travel Awards recognizes the finest luminaries in Asia-Pacific’s travel industry, which have consistently shown a strong commitment to service excellence. Thai Airways International was voted for by the readers of TTG Asia and other TTG magazines this year. Last year, it ranked ninth among the world’s top ten airlines at the 2010 World Airline Awards, which took place in Hamburg. THAI also received an award for Best Intercontinental Airline in the Norwegian Grand Travel Award 2010. The airline has carried the country’s national flag as a global ambassador, projecting the image and prestige of the country for over 50 years. It serves over 18 million passengers annually, operating more than 850 international and domestic flights each week. THAI has contributed greatly to Thailand’s tourism industry. The country’s promising tourism outlook will benefit the airline, as well. According to a report from the airline, its flight kitchens in Bangkok produce up to 80,000 meals a day for THAI’s own flights and those of 50 customer airlines. The airline is a massive purchaser of food and materials used for in-flight catering by its flight kitchens. In the past, much of this had been purchased from worldwide sources, but over recent years, THAI has been active in supporting import substitution initiatives, including many of the Royal Project’s crops designed to widen opportunities for Thai farmers. The Royal Project, an initiative of His Majesty the King, has been successful in encouraging hilltribe villagers to shift away from growing opium poppies to alternative crops. A number of royal development centers under the Royal Project have been set up in northern Thailand to carry out research studies and grow temperate crops so that local people could earn a good living. Thailand’s national airline is also committed to fulfilling its obligations in regard to the protection of the environment and reduction of carbon emissions to mitigate global warming. It supports the targeted goals that the industry should achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onwards. THAI was the first Asia/Pacific airline to sign a memorandum of understanding with the International Air Transport Association to provide its passengers with the opportunity to offset carbon generated from flying.