丰田、本田泰国工厂洪灾后陆续复产，泰航CEO因危机处理被停职

BANGKOK -- Two Japanese automakers have restarted Thailand production as businesses recover from flooding, while Thai Airways moves to review its crisis management after heavy rains left travelers and luggage stranded.
Toyota Motor was forced to halt production at three Thai plants when flooding disrupted component supplies. The stoppage was originally planned to last until Oct. 10, but was extended due to ongoing trouble getting parts.
Now supplies have recovered, and Toyota last Wednesday restarted production of the Hilux pickup truck and other vehicles at its Samrong plant, and then on Friday at the Gateway plant, where it builds Yaris and Corolla passenger cars. On Monday, the automaker resumed output at its Ban Pho plant, which produces vehicles for export as well.
Honda Motor restarted vehicle production last Friday at its Thai facilities affected by the floods.
On Oct. 8, Thailand's Industry Minister Varawut Silpa-archa toured the Amata City industrial park in Chonburi province, home to auto component suppliers. The government is preparing support such as tax breaks and assistance for repairing equipment, aiming to put together a relief package within one month.
The industrial park's operator, Thai conglomerate Amata, is working on upgrades including reinforcing floodwalls to counter heavier-than-normal rains and improving early warning systems.
As business activity begins to return to normal, Thai Airways faces a reckoning. Flooding around the airline's main hub, Suvarnabhumi International Airport, caused delays to flights and baggage.
There are no reports of flooded runways, but flooding in the surrounding areas prevented ground staff from reaching the airport. "The area is a wetland," one aviation official said about the airport's location.
Disruptions became apparent on Sept. 26 when heavy rains around Bangkok caused widespread flooding of major roads, public broadcaster Thai PBS reported. The normally 500-strong ground staff was left short by over 200 people, while specialist aircraft staff were down to around 20, around half their usual number.
Local media reported that Thai Airways' reliance on external contractors made it difficult to ensure employees reported to work during the flood. Nearly all flights were delayed on Sept. 27-28, with around 5,600 pieces of luggage stuck at the airport on Sept. 29.
The airline on Oct. 1 announced plans to resume all flights, and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said two days later that airport operations had returned to normal, eight days after disruptions began.
Thai Airways' continuation of operations despite reduced ground handling capacity led to widespread delays and baggage overloads. On Sept. 29, the carrier laid out a plan to cut flights by about 30%, but disruptions could have been smaller had the decision been made earlier.
Thailand's meteorological authorities had already announced on Sept. 22 that there was a chance of extremely heavy rainfall in Bangkok between Sept. 23 and Sept. 27.
"The timing of any decision to reduce or cancel flights is very difficult, but that's precisely why it's critical to make those decisions early," said Toru Ogiyama, an associate professor in the College of Aviation at J.F. Oberlin University in Tokyo.
The operational breakdown has led to calls for management accountability at Thai Airways, which was just trying to return to growth after restructuring in 2025 following bankruptcy proceedings in 2020. The company was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company's board of directors decided on Oct. 2 to suspend CEO Chai Eamsiri and conduct an investigation and review of crisis management procedures.