BANGKOK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's national carrier announced on its website that it is offering pilgrimage flights that will allow passengers to visit 99 holy Buddhist sites around Thailand without making any landings in between flights.
The move is part of the government's attempt to stay afloat amid the airline's bankruptcy rehabilitation.
"The special flight will fly over 99 sacred venues in 31 provinces in about three hours, during which a religious ceremony and chanting of prayers will be conducted onboard by Kacha Chinbancha, a historian who is an expert in religions and cultures," said Vivat Piyaviroj, vice president for the airline's commercial operations.
The three-hour flight will take off on Nov. 30 at 1:30 p.m. and land at 4:30 p.m local time. The flight will first head east to Chonburi and Rayong provinces, then turn south over the Gulf of Thailand to Surat Thani, where Wat Chedi is situated.
The plane will go north all the way to Sukhothai afterward, tour the northeast, and touch down at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The company, which had total liabilities of 332 billion baht (10.7 billion U.S. dollars), filed a restructuring plan in May after a loss of passengers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that grounded its operations worldwide.
"The airline must find some business ways to salvage the huge debt," said Vivat. Enditem
