Former Thai Airways boss jailed for two years after failing to pay excess baggage fees

The unpaid charges were from 2009

Thai Airways

A former airline boss has received a two-year jail sentence for unpaid excess baggage fees.

Wallop Bhukkanasut, the former chairman of Thai Airways, was found guilty of violating Section 11 of the Act on Offences Committed by Officials of State Organisations or Agencies.

The offence occurred more than a decade ago in 2009, when Bhukkanasut and his wife were flying from Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan, to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, reports the Bangkok Post.

The pair were carrying more than 300kg of excess luggage.

But instead of paying the charges, Bhukkanasut used his position to pressure airline staff into changing the recorded weight of his luggage instead.

As well as abusing his authority to avoid the fees, Bhukkanasut’s actions created a potential safety issue, as the weight carried by an aircraft has to be recorded and carefully balanced.

“An improperly loaded and/or overloaded airplane is a danger to everyone on board,” Bill McGee, an FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher who spent years working in airline operations and management, has previously written in USA Today.

In 2010, following an investigation, Bhukkanasut was ordered to pay the excess baggage fees. Instead, he stepped down as a chairman of the Thai Airways board.

In addition to failing to pay the charges, he was also accused of accepting expensive gifts – Kobe beef and fruit valued at 3,000 baht (£75) – from a private firm.  

The charges were filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the case was heard at the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases.

Bhukkanasut was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment without suspension.

It follows Thai Airways’ announcement that it would be running a “flight to nowhere” based around holy sites.

The new service, departing from and landing back at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, won’t stop off anywhere, but will fly over 99 holy sites across 31 provinces.

Taking off at around 1.30pm on 30 November, the flight will be airborne for three hours and will pass over sites in Chon Buri, Rayong, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Nakhon Pathom, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Chaiyaphum and Nakhon Ratchasima, among others.

It’s aimed at worshippers, providing a new kind of pilgrimage at altitude.