Thai Airways Sacks CEO Chai Eamsiri Over Flight Chaos and Procurement Probe
Thai Airways dismisses CEO Chai Eamsiri with immediate effect following severe flight disruptions, baggage chaos, and a $24m wine probe
- Thai Airways has dismissed CEO Chai Eamsiri with immediate effect due to severe operational problems, including widespread flight delays and baggage chaos.
- Eamsiri is facing two internal investigations, one concerning the operational breakdowns and another focused on procurement practices.
- The procurement probe centers on the purchase of approximately $24 million (800 million THB) worth of in-flight wine from a single supplier.
Thai Airways dismisses CEO Chai Eamsiri with immediate effect following severe flight disruptions, baggage chaos, and a $24m wine probe.
The board of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited has ousted Chief Executive Officer Chai Eamsiri with immediate effect following widespread flight delays, severe baggage backlogs, and cargo service disruptions.
The decision was taken during a board meeting chaired by Chairman Lavaron Sangsnit on Friday, 2 October 2026.
Board member Samrit Samniang has been appointed acting CEO to stabilise operations and tackle the ongoing operational turmoil, which escalated after recent heavy rainfall and localised flooding across greater Bangkok severely disrupted ground operations.
Alongside his dismissal, Chai faces two separate internal investigations into management failures and procurement practices.
The first probe focuses on operational breakdowns within ground handling and cargo divisions.
Investigators are examining multi-tiered subcontracting arrangements, following concerns that key ground and cargo operations were excessively outsourced to external vendors across multiple sub-delegation levels.
The second inquiry centres on allegations surrounding the procurement of in-flight wine. The airline reportedly purchased approximately 860,000 bottles of wine valued at over 800 million baht ($24 million / 800 million THB) exclusively from a single supplier.
Samrit takes the helm immediately to restore flight schedules, resolve cargo service halts, and address passenger backlogs as the flag carrier navigates its latest leadership crisis.
Samrit Samniang, who has been appointed acting chief executive officer, currently serves as a director and executive director of Thai Airways, holding authorised signatory authority for the company.
He possesses extensive background in finance and large-scale corporate management, having previously served as executive vice president of the Finance and Accounting Group at PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP).
