The procurement plan has already been forwarded by the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) to the Ministry of Transport, THAI president Sumeth Damrongchaitham, said. The ministry in turn is expected to propose the matter to the office of secretary-general of the Cabinet within this week and then to the Cabinet within this month.

The procurement would be in two phases. About 25 new aircraft will be purchased in the first phase and 13 in the second phase. Of the total, 31 new aircraft would be used to replace older planes that will be gradually decommissioned over the next 10 years, while the remaining seven planes will be assigned to new routes in the future. Meanwhile, THAI is planning to open the Bangkok-Sendai (Japan) route this November, due to Japan’s growing popularity as a destination for Thai people.

Recently, Manchester airport, the UK’s fourth busiest airport by passenger traffic, met officials from THAI about increasing direct flights. Thai tourists have been travelling to the north of the United Kingdom, but experience some difficulty in obtaining visas to the country, said Sumeth. The airport authority will seek solutions to the visa-approval problem.

In regard to a solution to the Rolls-Royce engine problems that have affected six to seven of the airline’s planes, THAI is now negotiating with the British jet engine manufacturer for compensation.

The airline has hedged against global oil price fluctuations and has adjusted its ticket prices to reflect actual costs. But the Thai flagship airline has taken a cautious approach to adjusting ticket prices, given the high competition, and it believes now is not the right time to raise ticket prices. Sumeth, who is also chairman of Thai Smile Airways, said he has assigned both companies to connect their policies, merge administrative centres for cost reduction and have separate service and aviation sections without reducing staff.

“Merging the centres will allow connectivity of overseas routes of Thai Smile and THAI, to facilitate passengers’ transits in the country and abroad. Thai Smile is expected to have satisfactory performance at the end of this year, thanks to new cost management and resource sharing,” Sumeth said.

Meanwhile, THAI has reported total revenue of Bt200.58 billion, and a net loss of Bt11.62 billion for 2018 year-end, higher than its Bt2.10 billion net loss in 2017.

Located in a 20-rai (3 hectares) area adjacent to the Culture Ministry, the National Knowledge Centre (NKC) is expected to be the country’s biggest and most modern public educational venue.

MCOT president Kematat Paladesh and OKMD director Atipad Bumroong on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of the NKC.

The signing ceremony was chaired by Air Chief Marshall Prajin Juntong, deputy prime minister and justice minister.

Jirachai Moontongroy, director of MCOT and chairman of OKMD, said at the ceremony that as both MCOT and OKMD placed importance on human-capability development through the public-learning process, they had agreed to establish the NKC.

The centre will comprise an electronic library, a large outdoor learning area, seminar rooms and a big green leisure area.

Thailand Knowledge Park, which is a unit under OKMD management, will be moved to the NKC, too.

Prajin, deputy prime minister supervising the NKC, added that the centre represented a new dimension of modern education and a learning-tourism destination for people of all ages.

The centre will integrate national knowledge, strengthen creative thinking and create sustainable innovations in the country, he added.

“I strongly believe that the NKC will play an important role in sustainably enhancing the capabilities and life quality of Thai people, in accordance with the government’s policy on human-resource development,” the deputy PM said.

Midea teams up with talented director Nattawut of “Bad Genius” and J. Walter Thompson Bangkok to create an emotional story about Paola Antonini, a Brazilian model who lost her left leg in a car accident but never ceased to pursue her dream, according to its press release.

Produced by Houseton Film, “Good Night Paola” follows Antonini’s journey through her treacherous path towards becoming a model, starring Antonini as herself.

Through her story, Midea hopes to inspire consumers to overcome obstacles and reclaim power to pursue their dreams, according to the press release.

“We developed the short film based on the double definitions of ‘dream’. One is the literal ‘dream state’ that occurs at the final stage of sleep and can only be achieved via calm and comfort; the other is a metaphor for realizing ‘dreams’ in life,” said Pete – Thasorn Boonyanate, Creative Director of J. Walter Thompson Bangkok.

“We interlinked these two definitions with Midea residential AC’s commitment to providing consumers not only cooling comfort for a restful night, but also refreshing energy to power through real-life challenges.”

“The film ‘Good Night Paula’ is also part of Midea’s global campaign #NoHeatCanBeatYourDreams to encourage consumers to brave through any ‘heat’ in their lives in pursuit of their own ‘dream states’.”

Globally, people encounter different obstacles in pursuing their dreams, including social pressure, financial difficulties, and physical limitations. In Thailand, approximately three percent of population are people with disabilities1, who have been fighting for equal rights and opportunities to fulfill their dreams.

“The #NoHeatCanBeatYourDreams campaign aims to encourage our audiences to overcome obstacles for their cherished dreams.” says Tony Liu, General Manager of Midea Air Conditioner Business Unit. “Midea residential AC is always there to protect your ‘dream state’ through any source of ‘heat’ in life.”

Launched in Thailand, one of Midea’s key markets in ASEAN, this campaign will later be hosted in Latin America. The film can be viewed online at https://youtu.be/OtD0Z8o2P8Y. For more information about Midea Thailand, please visit https://th.midea.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=417891829002769

Axiata said in a statement yesterday the new merged entity’s (MergedCo) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) would be more than 20 billion ringgit. Telenor Group has a 49 per cent stake in Digi.com.

The new entity will control operations of subsidiaries in nine countries with a combined total population of more than one billion people and 300 million customers.

“With its unique portfolio, the MergedCo will be one of the largest telecommunications groups in the region in terms of value, revenue and profit, and with a strengthened balance sheet to support aggressive growth and expansion in the consumer, home, enterprise and IoT/artificial intelligence (AI) market segments,” Axiata said.

Additionally, the portfolio of controlled telecommunication operations shall comprise six countries with number one positions, two countries with number two positions and one market with third position within their respective markets.

Telenor holds an indirect position in DTAC Thailand, the country’s third-largest mobile operator, and has over 21 million mobile subscribers.

Separately, Robi Axiata Ltd, a subsidiary of Axiata operating in Bangladesh, shall continue to be managed independently by Axiata after completion of this proposed transaction.

Axiata said in bringing together assets from both parties, the proposed transaction has the potential to deliver up to around 20 billion ringgit of incremental value in synergies through consolidation of assets and organisations, economies of scale and scope, and complementary best practices of the parties.

“The proposed transaction aims to enable the MergedCo to bring together Axiata and Telenor’s Asian operations’ unique combination of scale, competencies and vast experiences in leading and managing emerging and frontier markets.

“The parties have also stated their stipulated intention to list the MergedCo on Bursa Malaysia [Malaysia’s stock exchange] and another major international exchange within the next few years.

“As a global champion, the MergedCo will now include a Malaysian champion, a global towerco, and the largest innovation centre in this region, all to be headquartered in Malaysia,” it said.

Bangkok Hospital, Samitivej Hospital, members of Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Plc (BDMS), were honoured with seven awards at The Global Health & Travel Award Ceremony 2019 recently held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The annual contest aims to recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets that have maintained consistently high standards in delivering quality care and pushed the boundaries to impress their customers at every stage and in every interaction.

“We are honoured to receive the Global Health & Travel Awards 2019 in seven categories this year, which recognised the hospital that maintained consistently high standards,” said Ratapong Amphanwong, deputy hospital director, Bangkok Hospital.

“These awards emphasised the hospital’s outstanding performance in terms of initiatives that can improve the way healthcare is delivered through areas such as leadership, technological innovation and medical services for patients from overseas with an international standard.”

Dr Nisarat Jaidee, assistant hospital director, BDMS, said, “We are excited and proud to receive two prestigious awards from Global Health & Travel this year.

This result couldn’t have been achieved without the support of a team fully dedicated and committed to serve its customers and patients. “We will continue to improve the standard of healthcare and customer value through all aspects,” added Nisarat, who is also director of Samitivej Referral & Assistance Centre.

The simple steps to make coffee briques were demonstrated for the first time last Saturday at Hilton Mandalay, the first Hilton property in Myanmar to launch the programme.

Coffee briques are eco-friendly fuel alternatives to normal charcoal. Hilton is implementing the coffee briques programme as part of its long-term sustainability commitment in Myanmar.

“2019 is a milestone year for Hilton as we celebrate our 100th year. With the coffee briques programme, we aim to strengthen our commitment to corporate social responsibility for the benefit of the community. By recycling used coffee grounds, we are providing not just a cleaner energy solution but also minimising waste that goes to landfills or clogged waterways,” said Veronique Sirault, cluster general manager of Hilton in Myanmar.

More than 140 kilograms of used coffee grounds collected over two months have been dried, starched and moulded into briquette. These are now being used as an alternative to charcoal at Hilton properties.

The coffee briques are mainly used for grilling BBQ. Coffee briques are more energy efficient than charcoal because they contain carbon and coffee oil which produce the blue flame that has a higher temperature than charcoal. The coffee briques programme at the Hilton is held in cooperation with Diversey.

In Myanmar, charcoals and firewood are still the main source of fuel for cooking. By introducing the coffee briques programme, Hilton hopes to inspire local communities and companies to try making their own coffee briques or to find other alternative and more eco-friendly fuel.

Recycled coffee waste generates up to 80 per cent less emissions than if the grounds end up in landfill. The process of making coffee briques also does not require burning so there is less pollution.

“Deforestation is a leading cause of global climate change. This programme helps to reduce the use of charcoal and firewood in Myanmar. We hope to lead by example and inspire our staff and the local community to take simple steps to save Mother Earth,” Veronique added.

Hilton currently operates three hotels in Myanmar: Hilton Nay Pyi Taw, Hilton Mandalay and Hilton Ngapali Resort & Spa. The company has three hotels in the development pipeline which will open in Inle Lake, Bagan and Yangon over the coming years.