Thai Airways is seeing a slow recovery after border reopenings

The removal of most COVID-19 border restrictions in Thailand has spurred a significant boost in demand and capacity for Thai Airways – although this does not alter the fact that the path back to full recovery of international traffic will be a long one.

The Thai government implemented a phased withdrawal of COVID-19 entry restrictions, culminating in the almost complete reopening from 1-Jul-2022.

Rule change milestones have caused immediate bumps in international capacity for Thai Airways. However, these policy changes have yet to spark the kind of sustained growth rates the airline needs.

Tourism is important to Thailand, as it was one of the major leisure destinations before the pandemic.

This means that the removal of restrictions in other countries is also crucial to restoring tourist flows. China is a particularly vital market for Thailand, and uncertainty regarding its COVID-19 border restrictions is a headache for Thailand’s airlines and tourism industry.