Thai airlines say recovery being held up by high fuel prices

The head of commercial operations at Thai Lion Air says high oil prices continue to hinder recovery in the aviation sector. Nuntaporn Komonsittivate says that, while tourism is slowly improving since the easing of entry restrictions, airlines are still struggling.

“The airline business has grappled with the pandemic for more than 2 years. Oil prices account for 30% of operational costs, and at $100 – 110 per barrel right now, the situation has worsened.”

The Bangkok Post reports that TLA has had to adjust its domestic schedule to meet load targets for each flight and to reduce the losses incurred as a result of high fuel costs. Nuntaporn says suddenly increasing air fares is not an option, particularly during low season. She adds that the only advantage to high fuel costs is that it might persuade domestic tourists to fly instead of driving to their destination.

TLA has now…