She said Nok Air had submitted a notice to the department of the cancellations, blaming a shortage of pilots.

The budget airline earlier said it would resume all cancelled flights from yesterday onwards, after it cancelled more than 500 since February 14.

Chief executive officer Patee Sarasin yesterday morning posted a message on the airline’sFacebook saying: “No need to say much … Action speaks louder than words.”

Its top management also did not provide any information to media as earlier promised that it would make some changes on March 11. Nok Air has said it is recruiting pilots and co-pilots to replace 17 who have resigned.

Ampawan said Nok Air passengers affected by the cancellations would be transferred to other airlines.

She added that Nok Air was cleaning up its internal problems along with preparing flight slots for the new season starting next month.

Thai Airways International said it recently held a workshop on the pilot profession in which about 400 people participated including senior-high-school students, their parents, and interested members of the public.

Similar workshops on a career as a THAI pilot have been held in the past several years at various universities, such as Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat University, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Kasetsart University, Mahidol University, Mae Fah Luang University, and Khon Kaen University.

The latest THAI workshop was held to offer career opportunities for those interested in becoming pilots. This year, about 2,000 people have expressed interest and participated in such workshops.