Thai Airways International may have started from a tiny seed but it has grown to be one of Asia's leading airlines, respected for its foresight, efficient operation, and superior service. Its growth has been outward as well as upward, developing support industries--Cargo, Catering, Maintenance, Refueling and a dozen other components--that, with the airline, employ more than 20,000 persons. The net result of their efforts has been the creation of a major corporation that has enjoyed 31 consecutive profit-making years, a rarity in an industry that daily sees airlines appear and disappear.

In celebrating its 36th anniversary--or, in Buddhist reckoning, its third 12-year cycle, an auspicious occasion--in 1996, it was fitting that it should enter its fourth cycle with a sense of renewed purpose and the look to reflect it. In 1996, management undertook a re-engineering programme to prepare THAI to meet the challenges of a fierce competition in the industry. Our Vision Statement lays out the course for the airline's development over the next decade. Its visible manifestation will be a new look that will be unveiled in the coming year. Some things will remain the same, however: our committment to excellence and superior service that have spurred our growth from a tiny airline to a regional power.