Thai Airways Interna-tional (THAI) has set itself a target of achieving Bt200 billion in revenue during the 2007 fiscal year.

It's a target that puts tremendous pressure on Wallop Bhukkanasut, executive vice president of the airline's commercial department. He retires at the end of the fiscal year, but before then he must prove his worth by achieving a difficult goal in an environment where the competition has never been more fierce.

In fiscal 2006, which ended on September 30 last year, THAI earned Bt170 billion, and Wallop knows he and his staff will have to work very hard to achieve another Bt30 billion.

It could be achieved if the airline increases the number of passengers in premium class. Another way is to increase flight frequency on international routes that make a lot of profit. And there are also new campaigns, urging people to fly with THAI in preference to other airlines.

He admits that the strong baht and the cost of jet fuel are the main negative influences on THAI's income. Figures for the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year, which ended in September, show that THAI recorded a net loss of Bt1.5 billion mainly due to these two factors.

Although the strong baht gives the airline a foreign exchange gain, this does not cover the decline in revenue when it is earned in foreign currencies and then translated into baht.

As one answer, Wallop plans to increase revenue from European routes, which provide income in euros instead of dollars.

"These are uncontrollable factors," he says. "But if the baht is maintained at around Bt36 or Bt37 to the dollar and the price of jet fuel price doesn't fluctuate like it did last year, I believe we can achieve our goal."

Wallop says he is happy working with the present board of directors, with its military leader. Both the airline's board and its president, Apinan Sumanaseni, let him do his job freely.

"I believe that THAI's Commercial Department will be free from political intervention this time. This is different from previous governments," Wallop says.

Wallop is the son of Knisr Bhukkanasut, who was one of THAI's founders. He says he is very proud to be a successor to his father. However, he did not set out to make a career at THAI.

Wallop has spent half of his life living and working overseas. He went with his father to Japan when he was only 12 to undertake high-school studies. Later, he moved to Hawaii for his university studies, where he received a bachelor's degree. Then he made a complete change. He earned his living as a musician in pubs and restaurants around Hawaii for two years, depending on his skills as a bass player.

His first involvement with the aviation industry came later, when he joined Braniff Airlines as a steward. After two years at this job, he decided to return to Thailand to start work for THAI. He wanted to "return to his motherland" and start a new life.

Wallop began as a baggage man at Bangkok International Airport.

"Although my father was one of THAI's founders, I got no privileges working at this organisation," he says.

One day, his boss asked him to transfer to the Commercial Department, the airline's most crucial business division, and since then his career has progressed step by step. He became a sales agent, advertising manager then regional manager. Before being made executive vice president in the Commercial Department in a middle of last year, he was a vice president for sales and distribution.

However, the top position seems to have come too late for him, and Wallop blames his personality. Living abroad for a half of his life has made him a highly disciplined man with a work culture similar to that of Japanese or Western executives. To progress in his career, he has had to live in many countries, and has only lived permanently in Thailand since 2001.

"I have fewer connections in this company. It is a reason why my job has not progressed as it should have. I admit that I have had less time to fulfil my responsibilities," he says.

"My job is to make revenue for our company. It is very difficult to create many campaigns to urge people to fly with THAI. I think, everyday: 'how can I earn a lot of money and suffer few losses?'

"I want my colleagues in other departments, who have an obligation to spend money, to understand me. If we all strive in the same way, I have a strong belief that we can achieve our goal," he says.