Thai Airways Extends Flight Cuts and Schedule Changes Amid Operational Recovery
Thai Airways issues further flight cancellations and schedule alterations for early October following ministerial intervention and baggage recovery measures
- Thai Airways has extended its operational disruptions, announcing a new wave of flight cancellations and schedule changes for both domestic and international routes from October 1 to 3.
- These adjustments are a deliberate measure to stabilize operations at Suvarnabhumi Airport, which were severely impacted by manpower shortages and flooding.
- The recovery effort involves government intervention, with military personnel deployed to assist ground crews, and a focus on clearing a backlog of over 10,000 delayed baggage items.
- The airline intentionally scaled back its schedule to allow ground services to catch up, with the stated goal of returning to a normal flight schedule within seven days.
Thai Airways issues further flight cancellations and schedule alterations for early October following ministerial intervention and baggage recovery measures.
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) has announced a fresh wave of round-trip flight cancellations and schedule adjustments running from 1 to 3 October 2026.
The national flag carrier is working to restore operational stability at its primary base, Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The latest operational updates involve widespread domestic and international disruptions aimed at streamlining ground operations and aircraft rotas over the coming days:
Thursday, 1 October:
o Cancelled Domestic Round-Trips:
Bangkok–Phuket (TG201/TG202 and TG217/TG218)
Bangkok–Chiang Mai (TG122/TG123 and TG114/TG115)
Bangkok–Ubon Ratchathani (TG020/TG021)
Bangkok–Khon Kaen (TG040/TG041)
Bangkok–Chiang Rai (TG132/TG133)
Bangkok–Hat Yai (TG267/TG268)
Bangkok–Udon Thani (TG008/TG009).
o Cancelled International Round-Trips:
Bangkok–Frankfurt (TG922/TG923)
Bangkok–Singapore (TG403/TG404)
Bangkok–New Delhi (TG315/TG316)
Bangkok–Mumbai (TG317/TG318)
Bangkok–Hanoi (TG564/TG565)
o Rescheduled International Flights:
TG401 (Bangkok–Singapore) moved to 03:30 (rescheduled as TG401D on 2 October)
TG425 (Bangkok–Penang) rescheduled to depart at 04:05 on 2 October
TG636 (Bangkok–Taipei) rescheduled to depart at 01:50 on 2 October.
TG602 (Bangkok–Hong Kong) rescheduled to depart at 02:50 on 2 October.
TG672 (Bangkok–Osaka) shifted to a 09:10 departure, with the returning TG673 (Osaka–Bangkok) departing at 18:10 local time.
Friday, 2 October:
o Cancelled Domestic Round-Trips:
Bangkok–Ubon Ratchathani (TG020/TG021)
Bangkok–Udon Thani (TG002/TG003)
Bangkok–Khon Kaen (TG040/TG041)
Bangkok–Chiang Mai (TG122/TG123)
Bangkok–Phuket (TG201/TG202 and TG217/TG218).
o Cancelled International Services:
Round-trip services for Bangkok–Copenhagen (TG950/TG951)
Bangkok–Taipei (TG632/TG633)
Bangkok–Singapore (TG413/TG414)
Bangkok–Seoul (TG656).
o Rescheduled International Flights: have all been pushed to departure times in the early hours of 3 October.
TG401 (Bangkok–Singapore as TG401D)
TG425 (Bangkok–Penang)
TG636 (Bangkok–Taipei)
TG602 (Bangkok–Hong Kong)
• Saturday, 3 October:
o Cancelled International Services:
Bangkok–Amsterdam (TG936/TG937) round-trip and the return Seoul–Bangkok sector (TG657).
o Rescheduled International Flights:
TG950 (Bangkok–Copenhagen) adjusted to a 06:00 departure, arriving at 12:50 local time.
Escalation Following 29 September Disruptions
This newly announced timetable follows a major disruption on 29 September, when THAI grounded 37 domestic and international flights.
The initial cuts left thousands of travellers stranded and severely strained processing services at Suvarnabhumi Airport, caused primarily by acute manpower shortages and severe flooding across the Bangkok metropolitan region that affected staff availability.
Ministerial Intervention and High-Level Recovery Operations
The fresh round of schedule changes was formalised following a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon (30 September) led by Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
During the briefing, Minister Phiphat outlined a government-backed recovery roadmap, confirming that military personnel had been deployed to Suvarnabhumi Airport to assist ground crews.
THAI Chief Executive Chai Eamsiri noted at the briefing that flight schedules were intentionally scaled back to allow ground services to catch up, targeting a complete return to normal operations within seven days.
Phiphat also instructed the carrier to maintain its import and export cargo services despite processing bottlenecks.
Current Operational Status and Baggage Recovery
Operational conditions have begun to stabilise. Ground services have recovered significantly, with approximately 90 per cent of ground service staff and 80 per cent of ramp and aircraft handling personnel returned to work.
Progress is also being made on the severe baggage backlog that accumulated between 26 and 28 September, during which over 10,000 items of luggage were delayed.
THAI confirmed that over 3,300 pieces of luggage have already been reunited with passengers, and the remaining backlog is showing steady daily reduction. Passengers who travelled with THAI between 26 and 29 September can track their delayed luggage via the dedicated tracking portal at [https://baggage.airportthai.co.th].
THAI has issued a sincere apology to all affected passengers for the disruption and stated it is closely monitoring operations to restore its full schedule as quickly as possible.
For real-time updates and rebooking assistance, passengers can contact the THAI Contact Centre at +66 2 356 1111 (available 24 hours a day), email [email protected], or reach out through their local overseas offices.
