Phiphat tells Thai Airways to keep cargo moving and expects 8,000 bags cleared by October 2

Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn on Wednesday (September 30) told Thai Airways International to keep cargo services operating despite staff shortages and expressed confidence that its baggage backlog at Suvarnabhumi Airport would be cleared by Friday, October 2, 2026.

About 8,000 bags remain awaiting delivery, Phiphat said. Thai Airways chief executive Chai Eamsiri outlined a separate recovery timetable for flights, saying normal operations should resume within seven days.

Ministry presses Thai Airways to keep cargo services open

Phiphat said a meeting to review Thai Airways’ baggage and flight disruption had asked the airline not to halt cargo warehouse services because a shutdown would have wide-ranging consequences. The airline had announced plans to suspend the acceptance of import and export cargo after staffing problems spread to its freight business.

The Transport Ministry has asked Airports of Thailand (AOT) to set aside temporary space at Suvarnabhumi Airport to consolidate cargo awaiting processing at Thai Airways’ warehouse, Phiphat said.

Phiphat maintained that Thai Airways’ import and export cargo services would not close, although the airline might slow the acceptance of freight to match its handling capacity. The ministry would arrange additional personnel where needed.

Thai Airways has about 8,000 bags awaiting delivery

Staff shortages left more than 10,000 bags from Thai Airways flights between September 26 and 28 unprocessed, according to Phiphat. The airline could handle an average of about 2,000 bags a day, with approximately 8,000 still outstanding and an estimated three to four days needed to complete deliveries.

The Transport Ministry has requested an additional 100 military personnel to help speed up baggage sorting, Phiphat said. Military assistance had accelerated the lifting of bags, although Thai Airways employees remained essential because they understood the sorting procedures.

“We need to work together urgently. I believe we can complete the work by October 1, or October 2 at the latest. I apologise to all passengers,” Phiphat said.

Phiphat said the armed forces had been providing assistance since September 26. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) had also coordinated the transfer of 12 sets of transport equipment from the Royal Thai Air Force to speed up operations.

Addressing why the government had not intervened earlier, Phiphat said it had initially understood that Thai Airways was resolving the problems itself. Once the airline reported staffing shortages, the government helped arrange support that Thai Airways might have found difficult to request directly from the military.

“We will not leave the burden with any one party. We will work together and share responsibility,” Phiphat said, reiterating an aim to resolve the problems within three to four days and provide more personnel where needed.

Phiphat urged Thai Airways to tell the Transport Ministry whenever staff or equipment were lacking so assistance could be arranged. He described the response as “Team Thailand”, rather than the ministry issuing orders, because the disruption affected the country’s reputation and required a shared effort to resolve it quickly.

Thai Airways offers baggage collection and delivery

Thai Airways has established a centre to handle baggage enquiries and collect passengers’ contact details for subsequent deliveries, Phiphat said. Passengers can collect their bags at Suvarnabhumi Airport or have them delivered with support from Thailand Post, with deliveries continuing throughout each day.

Thai Airways was also prepared to cover expenses incurred by passengers who changed flights or altered travel plans because of the disruption, Phiphat said.

Phiphat said changes to Thai Airways’ flight schedules and baggage management on September 29 had prevented a new backlog from forming for flights from that date onwards. The outstanding bags were from flights between September 26 and 28.

Thai Airways targets normal flights within seven days

Thai Airways expects to restore its normal flight schedule within seven days, Chai said. The airline is temporarily reducing services to clear accumulated baggage and other outstanding work.

Chai said 90% of Thai Airways’ frontline passenger-service staff and 80% of operational employees had returned to work. Even with all employees back, the accumulated workload would still need to be cleared, making a temporary reduction in capacity necessary.

“Thai Airways normally operates 115 flights a day. When the problems began, we cut 28 flights. We will cut another 15 flights on October 1 and return to 105 flights on October 2,” Chai said.

“Based on our current assessment, we will restore normal flights within seven days. I believe that is achievable,” Chai said.

Chai said Thai Airways was prioritising passengers affected between September 26 and 28 and would accelerate the return of all delayed bags. He thanked AOT for providing space and helping organise operations, apologised to passengers and the Thai public, and said the airline welcomed suggestions it could use to improve its services.