One-Two-Go Chief Presses Ahead After Deadly Plane Crash

By Boonsong Kositchotethana, Bangkok Post, Thailand

Sep. 27–Despite possible litigation stemming from the Sept 16 crash of one of its jetliners in Phuket, Udom Tantiprasongchai, the founder of One-Two-Go Airlines, remains in good spirits.

Mr Udom, in his early fifties, appeared resolved to continue with the budget airline business after one of his One-Two-Go MD-82s crashed in strong winds and heavy rain after attempting to land at Phuket International Airport. The accident left 89 dead and 41 injured.

Mr Udom says he cannot afford to throw in the towel, largely because the company’s 1,000-plus employees have dedicated themselves to bringing the carrier through the turbulence.

“I need to be the one they can rely on. If they did not give up on me, how could I?” he told the Bangkok Post in a candid interview.

Mr Udom said he was taken by surprise by the genuine dedication of his staff and their readiness to turn around the airline, now in its fourth year of operation.

He was particularly heartened by the high degree of professionalism of one of the cabin attendants who is recovering from a serious injury.

“The first question she asked was ‘Are our passengers okay?’ ” he recalled after visiting her at a Phuket hospital.

Mr Udom also received moral support and offers for help from various industry organisations, agencies and friends.

While noting that the airline was currently preoccupied with helping victims and families of flight OG 269 through a difficult time, he insisted that One-Two- Go was still financially viable.

“The truth is I’m not shouldering all these burdens by myself. There is the insurance and we have always had 40 million baht in cash reserves ready for any emergency,” he explained.

Because the airline needs to devote its resources and efforts to crash issues, One-Two-Go’s inaugural overseas flights — slated to be carried out in association with parent carrier Orient Thai Airlines — will be delayed.

The Bangkok-Kathmandu service, which had been scheduled to run three times a week starting this month, will be pushed back to October.

Other routes facing delays are the daily flights from Bangkok to Macau, Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh.

Mr Udom said the company would look to expand its network again by the end of next month, when all issues related to the Phuket crash should be resolved.

The airline is considering putting a replacement MD-82 jet into the One-Two-Go fleet, which now consists of six MD-80 series aircraft. That could probably happen as soon as next week, when the airline’s reduced frequencies may get back to normal.

Mr Udom saw the need to rebuild One-Two-Go’s image, especially on safety concerns, as the fatal accident tarnished the airline’s reputation.

“We will see what major carriers like Singapore Airlines, China Airlines and Thai Airways International did to revive passenger confidence when they went through similar incidents like ours, and we will come up with an action plan,” he said.

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