BANGKOK, Aug 19 — Thailand’s flag carrier airline, Thai Airways International, is not reducing service in response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Smud Poom-on, THAI director for emergency and crisis response, said the number of passengers on THAI flights to Johannesburg had not dropped and travelers remained confident of THAI services.
The cabin factor on those flights is at 70 per cent as usual despite reports on the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa.
He said that Johannesburg is in South Africa and is far away from the outbreak.
As precautions, Mr Smud said THAI staff are screening passengers at their check-in rows and would have passengers with suspicious symptoms checked up.
If airport doctors do not approve their flights, THAI would reject such passengers and wait for them to recover.
Such passengers whose health was subsequently certified could use their same tickets within a specified period afterwards, Mr Smud said.
He also said that THAI was following up EVD situations closely. If the World Health Organization asks the International Civil Aviation Organization to suspend flights to some risky destinations, THAI would be ready to cooperate, Mr Smud said.
However, the present situation is not critical, he said.
