Thai Airways suspends cargo intake amid flood disruption

Thai Airways International has announced a temporary suspension of inbound, outbound and transit cargo acceptance at its cargo terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport from Oct 1-6 due to flooding disrupting staff travel and warehouse operations.

An announcement issued by THAI Cargo Terminal Operation Department said flooding in affected areas had continued to hamper employees' ability to commute to work, resulting in staff shortages and significant disruption to cargo handling.

The shortage has affected both the delivery of goods to customers and the transfer of cargo to flights, resulting in a substantial backlog of shipments, said the airline's cargo terminal department.

To better manage the situation, available manpower and resources, while maintaining safety and operational efficiency, the department said it had to impose a temporary cargo embargo on inbound, outbound and transit cargo at its Suvarnabhumi airport facility.

The suspension will take effect from 12.01am on Oct 1 until 11.59pm on Oct 6, with exemptions for diplomatic documents, live animals, human remains and mail.

The measure is intended to allow the cargo terminal to resume normal and efficient services as soon as possible.

The department apologised for any inconvenience and disruption caused by the situation and thanked customers for their understanding and cooperation.

The announcement followed severe flooding that affected Thai Airways' passenger operations over the weekend.

Torrential rain and flooding in Bangkok delayed the handling of about 5,600 pieces of luggage and disrupted around 330 flights after hundreds of employees were unable to travel to work at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.