Thai Airways and Garuda Indonesia are the latest airlines to replace their leaders in an attempt to reverse their financial woes. New CEOs took over at both carriers in September, and they face major challenges as they execute restructuring plans designed by their predecessors.The two airlines have been subject to the same pressures as others in the Southeast Asian region. An explosion in competition from low-cost carriers (LCC) on short-haul and, increasingly, long-haul routes is perhaps their largest headache. Growth in hub airports in the region has intensified, and airlines from outside the region are also taking a larger slice of traffic.Many of the embattled legacy carriers in the region have launched transformation programs to adapt to the new competitive environment. As well as Thai and Garuda, Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific are in this category and have seen leadership changes of their own in the past 18 months.Thai Airways selected Sumeth Damrongchaitham as its new president and CEO on Aug. 10, and he start-ed his four-year term on Sept. 1. Thai also appointed Ekniti Nitithanprapas as its new board chairman in July. Damrongchaitham replaces acting CEO Usanee Sangsingkeo, who had been in that position since February 2017 while Thai sought a permanent replacement for previous CEO Cha-ramporn Jotikasthira.
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