CAAT allocates winter slots to four new airlines serving Thailand
Riyadh Air, Virgin Atlantic, SkyUp Nistru and AirBorneo received slots for routes to Suvarnabhumi and Phuket during the 2026/2027 winter schedule.
- The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has allocated airport slots to four new airlines for the winter 2026/2027 tourism high season.
- Riyadh Air will operate seven weekly flights between Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Suvarnabhumi Airport.
- Virgin Atlantic will launch a new route with three weekly flights connecting London Heathrow and Phuket.
- The other new services include charter flights by SkyUp Nistru from Moldova to Phuket and 14 weekly flights by AirBorneo from Malaysia to Suvarnabhumi.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has disclosed the outcome of talks on revised flight schedules, additional flights and new routes to Thailand during the 158th Slot Conference (SC158) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), held in Bangkok from Tuesday (June 9, 2026) to Thursday (June 11, 2026).
The meeting coordinated and managed airport slot allocations for the Winter 2026/2027 schedule, with operations due to begin during the tourism high season from Sunday (October 25, 2026) to Saturday (March 27, 2027).
CAAT said airports with high travel demand included Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Samui airports, as well as U-Tapao Airport.
A total of 87 airlines held talks with CAAT seeking to operate services for this high season, covering both passenger and cargo flights from several regions around the world.
There were also four new airlines allocated airport slots for the Winter 2026/2027 schedule:
Riyadh Air from Saudi Arabia
Route: Riyadh–Suvarnabhumi and return, seven flights per week.
Virgin Atlantic from the United Kingdom
Route: London Heathrow–Phuket and return, three flights per week.
SkyUp Nistru from Moldova (charter flight)
Route: Chisinau (Moldova)–Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)–Phuket and return (Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a three-week gap).
AirBorneo from Malaysia
Route: Kuching–Suvarnabhumi and return, 14 flights per week.
