Nok Air chief executive Patee Sarasin yesterday admitted the airline may not resume normal operations after March 10, the last day the airline sought permission to use charter flights to accommodate its passengers.
Mr Patee yesterday conceded that Nok Air may resume flights normally in April instead of March as the airline continues its efforts to address problems in the organisation.
He said that after March 10, day-to-day assessments will be conducted until the end of the month, depending on the number of passengers travelling on each route.
In the event of a large number of passengers, Nok Air may still use charter flights.
The airline will report the situation to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on a daily basis, Mr Patee said.
"More than 90% of problems are expected to be addressed by March 10. The situation will ease up. More Nok Air flights will resume, and the number of charter flights will be reduced," he said.
Mr Patee also insisted the airline was willing to take responsibility for passengers in all respects, in accordance with the CAAT's regulations.
He said new pilots due to start work with Nok Air next month were ready to perform their duties despite the company's recent problems.
Meanwhile, Don Mueang airport director Petch Chancharoen said Nok Air, as of yesterday, was still relying on 16 charter flights a day from two airlines: Thai Lion Air and and Thai VietJet Air.
Thai Lion Air provided eight flights on three routes -- Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Udon Thani and Hat Yai -- while Thai VietJet Air handled eight other flights on the Bangkok-Ubon Ratchathani route.
More than 3,000 Nok Air passengers were left stranded at airports nationwide on Feb 14 during a work stoppage by pilots who disagreed with the airline's stricter auditing of aviation management.
The strike prompted the CAAT to conduct a one-month probe into claims that Nok Air pilots were being forced to work beyond acceptable flying hours. Some Nok Air flights were also cancelled on an ongoing basis due to a pilot shortage.