Thai Airways suspends cargo flights until October 6; passengers face baggage issues

Thai Airways has suspended all inbound and outbound cargo flights until Oct 6 due to flooding in Thailand that has disrupted crew movement and operations at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. The airline said that cargo would resume as soon as possible.

Suvarnabhumi Airport faced major disruption earlier on Tuesday with approximately half of the workers unable to report to work. Thousands of bags piled up at the airport, while several flights were cancelled. The disruptions follow days of heavy rain in Bangkok and other regions across Thailand that led to flooding in much of the country.

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Thai Airways, one of the primary airlines that process luggage at the airport, apologized for the situation involving the backlog of luggage. The airline also cancelled over 10 domestic and international flights on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I sincerely apologize to all passengers for the inconvenience caused. Thai Airways is making every effort to ensure that passengers are reunited with their baggage as soon as possible,” said Chai Eamsiri, Thai Airways CEO.

In response, the Thai Air Force dispatched the staff to clear the baggage backlog at the airport.

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Nearly half the amount of rain that normally falls in the city in September fell in Bangkok in just over three days last week. Rain has subsided in the capital, but a few neighbourhoods were still flooded on Wednesday.

The government of Thailand has approved emergency relief of 4.1 billion baht ($122 million) for flood disaster affected people. Government spokesperson Ekkapob Pianpises said at least 40 people had died in the floods, citing Health Ministry figures.

The floods have affected 44 out of 77 provinces of Thailand, 32 of which remain affected as of Wednesday. Authorities are draining floodwater from Bangkok into canals, with the government expecting conditions to improve over the next few days.

The flooding has also impacted business production. Toyota said on Wednesday that parts deliveries to its Thai operations had been affected, forcing it to temporarily suspend operations at three plants and a facility at its Toyota Auto Works joint venture.

Toyota said it was trying to coordinate with suppliers to restore deliveries back to normal and to resume operations as soon as possible.

(With inputs from agencies)