Thai Airways International (THAI), has launched its catering website Puff&Pie, offering a food delivery service in a bid to seek revenue while undergoing business restructuring amid Covid-19 crisis.
“The development of the website is a step forward in digital transformation and to facilitate customers in the digital era,” the airline’s catering unit said in a press release on Friday.
The pandemic led to sweeping restrictions on air travel, pushing airlines across the world into financial misery as demand plunged. And Thailand’s national airline, Thai Airways, was no exception.
Puff&Pie’s webpage offers a wide range of baked goods and other authentic Thai and western meals, including its trademark Pa-tong-ko, a Chinese-influenced deep-fried dough stick. The restaurant is all part of a new plan to boost profits after a difficult financial year.
The company recorded a net loss of 141.2 billion baht in 2020 and has gone through a major debt restructuring, which received approval from the Central Bankruptcy Court earlier in June.
After the restructuring began, the company posted a net profit of 51 billion baht for the first nine months of 2021, largely due to debt restructuring and sale of assets and equities, like its training center in Lak Si, Bangkok and land in Chiang Mai.
However, the airline’s revenue from passengers dropped by 92 per cent year-on-year, according to a report on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, as the third wave of domestic Covid-19 emerged during the second quarter.
Revenue from other services, including the catering unit, in the first nine months of 2021 also fell by 24 per cent year-on-year.
According to the report, the company started transformation initiatives to improve efficiency in reducing costs and expenses such as selling planes and laying off employees, while increasing income.
“The organization must be reformed in order to resume operation and enhance competitiveness when the Covid-19 situation unfolds.” the report read.