As air travel becomes more easily accessible to a wider demographic of travellers across the globe, more and more countries are enjoying an increase in tourism. One such country of which this is particularly true is Thailand. Consequently, efforts have been made by the Thai government to ensure that travel to and from the country is both easy and affordable to tourists from around the globe. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Thai Airways International Public Company Limited has been granted status as the flag carrier airline of Thailand.

As the national flag carrier, the airline enjoys certain privileges that are granted by the government in order to guarantee the smooth operation of the company during times of economical hardship, thus ensuring a steady flow of tourism to the country. The airline is headquartered in the Chatuchak District in the country’s capital city of Bangkok. Furthermore, it should be noted that the airline is operated primarily from the Suvarnabhumi Airport. Incidentally, not only is Thai Airways a member of the international airline affiliate group Star Alliance, it is also the member which initially founded the organisation.

The company was formed during 1988 and has enjoyed a steady growth ever since. Ther are plans to establish a new branch of the company at some point during 2012. This branch will operate under the name of Thai Smile and will provide domestic commercial passengers with regional flights around Thailand. This is planned to be implemented with the use of the new Airbus models, the A320 jet aircraft. The company’s business endeavours also include owning the controlling stake of Nok Air; a low-cost budget airline that operates throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia.

Thai Airways operates flights to seventy-two destinations across thirty-five different countries. This is achieved by the company’s use of a diverse fleet that is comprised of more than ninety aircraft. The company provides a non-stop flight that operates between the company’s base in Bangkok to Los Angeles in the United States. This is counted amongst ten of the longest non-stop flights that are commercially available throughout the world. Furthermore, the company operates another exceptionally long service between Bangkok and Brisbane which is counted amongst the longest Boeing 777-200 flights in the world.

The airline is now the official sponsor of Thailand’s Football Association. No small claim, as there are recent talks in the country to change the national sport from Muay Thai to soccer, since its popularity has increased rapidly over the last two decades.