Department of Aviation Senior Lecturer, Ian Douglas, recently delivered a keynote session on airline competitive strategies for times of recession at Thai Airways International's Global Cargo Conference in Bangkok.

Starting with a review of the dramatic fall in global trade since late 2008, the presentation and workshop addressed competitor benchmarking, fleet and network analysis, and strategy development.

Thai Airways International is a founding member of the Star Alliance, and one of Asia's major carriers, operating a fleet of 88 aircraft to 72 cities worldwide. Cargo and Mail is a key unit and contributes 14% of the company's total revenue. Thai Airways International Managing Director Cargo & Mail, Pruet Boobphakam, is currently a post-graduate student at UNSW.

Ian Douglas of UNSW Aviation with Pruet Boobphakam Managing Director - Cargo and Mail (centre left) at the Thai Airways International cargo conference.