Photo: Markus Winkler / Pexels
Thai Airways says its baggage backlog at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport is almost cleared. As of Monday 5 October 2026, 862 bags were still waiting: 150 for outbound flights and 712 from inbound flights. The airline says scheduled flights were running at 100%. The backlog followed severe flooding in eastern Bangkok, which stopped many staff from getting to work.
Where things stand now
Thai Airways International (THAI) reported these figures on Monday 5 October 2026:
| Item | Number |
|---|---|
| Bags still in the backlog | 862 |
| Outbound bags | 150 |
| Inbound bags | 712 |
| Inbound bags where passengers have arranged retrieval | 300 |
| Inbound bags staff still have to clear | 412 |
Passengers contacted the airline to arrange retrieval of 300 of the 712 inbound bags. That leaves 412 for staff to clear.
On staffing, 1,348 employees reported for duty, against 1,278 expected. That is 70 more than planned.
THAI said its scheduled flights were 100% operational. Its Suvarnabhumi schedule for the day was 122 inbound and 123 outbound flights. No delayed cargo was left in its airport warehouse.
How big the backlog got
At its peak, about 7,175 bags belonged to passengers on outgoing and connecting flights, and another 5,423 were from inbound flights. Together that is roughly 12,600 bags.
What caused it
Severe flooding hit eastern districts of Bangkok over the past week. Many employees were stranded and could not reach Suvarnabhumi. THAI holds the airport's ground operations contract, and many of the absent staff were baggage handlers. Luggage was piling up at the airport on 29 September because handlers could not report for work.
Fallout at THAI
The airline's board sacked THAI president Chai Eamsiri over the chaos.
Information sourced from Bangkok Post.