Flying excess baggage and using your position to avoid paying for it is enough to land you in hot waters in Thailand.
A former chairman of Thai Airways, Wallop Bhukkanasut, was sentenced to 2 years in jail for failing to pay for his excess baggage. Bhukkanasut used his status to take bags weighing 300kg above the airline’s limit on a flight from Tokyo in 2009, without paying for it.
He was found by Thailand’s Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct guilty of breaching the National Anti-Corruption Act.
Also finding him guilty of abuse of power, the court heard a case against him for having received unauthorized gifts and donations. He allegedly received more than $100 worth of ‘gifts’, including fruit and Kobe beef from an unnamed company.
Whilst his offense might seem rather ‘small’ compared to other corruption stories we have read recently in the aviation industry, it is nevertheless a reminder that many State Airlines around the world are conducting anti-corruption drives.
Because the aviation industry is facing significant corruption risks, and there is increased scrutiny from regulators, there’s also a need for stronger compliance programs.
Ones that are empowered to train their CEOs & Senior Executives, before they end up in jail.
Source: https://simpleflying.com/former-thai-airways-ceo-jailed/
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