Photo: Richard Issa Bockari / Pexels
Thai Airways International (THAI) will resume its normal flight schedule on Saturday, 4 October 2026, after severe flooding in greater Bangkok disrupted its operations. Cancellations peaked at almost 40 flights and had already fallen to 9 on Friday. If you are flying THAI from Saturday onward, things should be back to normal, but check your flight status before heading to the airport.
What happened
Heavy rain and flooding kept THAI staff at home. Because of the staff shortage, the airline sharply scaled down its ground and air services.
At Suvarnabhumi Airport, passengers were stranded or unable to travel. About 10,000 pieces of luggage and cargo piled up. The article's photo caption notes baggage problems were seen on Tuesday (30 Sep).
The chaos came less than two weeks after THAI rose in the Skytrax global rankings. Its airport services category moved up to 7th, from 11th the year before. Both the government and passengers strongly criticised THAI for failing to cope with the crisis or limit its impact.
Return to normal operations
THAI announced on Thursday night (1 Oct) that it would return to full operations, and said it was mobilising staff to be ready.
The cancellation numbers show the trend:
| Period | Flights cancelled |
|---|---|
| Peak of flooding | Almost 40 |
| Thursday | 15 |
| Friday | 9 |
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thursday that THAI had cleared the stranded passengers. He said the airline would try to return baggage to all passengers by Saturday night.
What this means if you are travelling
- Flying THAI on or after Saturday: You should be fine. A few residual cancellations are still possible, so check your flight status before leaving for the airport.
- Missing or separated baggage: Contact the airline using the contact points below. The minister's goal of returning all baggage by Saturday night is a target, not a guarantee.
- Connecting via Bangkok to Krabi, Phuket or other southern flights: Allow extra buffer time and confirm your connections in the first days of the recovery.
- Cancelled flight: Ask THAI about rebooking or refunds. The article gives no details on compensation.
- More weather: Other Bangkok flooding or heavy rain could still cause delays. The same Bangkok Post page lists related stories on hail and heavy rain in Bangkok and on Chao Phraya water levels.
How to contact THAI
- Thai Ticket Office, Suvarnabhumi Airport: 4th Floor, Departure Hall. Open 24 hours.
- Thai Ticket Office, Head Office: Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Open 8am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
- Thai Contact Centre: Open 24 hours, +66 2 356 1111.
What we don't know
The article does not give the specific dates of the worst disruption, other than the Tuesday baggage photo. It gives no figures on how many passengers were affected, does not say whether other airlines were affected, and does not describe any compensation or rebooking policy.
Information sourced from Bangkok Post.