Thailand

Thai Airways International (THAI) cancelled all six round-trip flights between Bangkok and Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad in Pakistan on 9 May due to airspace closure

Executive Chair of Asia Aviation said that AirAsia is considering reducing flights from Thailand to China by at least 15% to address the Chinese market slowdown, and may shift to other routes with higher potential instead, such as India. He urged the government to start its planned stimulus soon and to upgrade the tax refund programme for foreign tourists to attract more international visitors

Chair of the Business Rehabilitation Plan Administration Committee of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) revealed the company’s Q1 results. Total revenue excluding one-time items reached 51,625 million THB, +12.3% YoY. Net profit reached 9,839 million THB, +306.1% YoY. Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) grew 21.1% YoY, while Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK) grew 20.8% YoY, with a total of 4.33 million passengers, +11.6% YoY. THAI plans to increase its fleet in 2025 to 81 aircraft from the current 77. The company has also approved the appointment of a new board of directors, and has completed registration of the board changes with the Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce on 22 Apr, which makes the company fully compliant with the requirements of the rehabilitation plan. It has submitted a petition to the Central Bankruptcy Court requesting termination of the rehabilitation process on 28 Apr. The court has scheduled a hearing for the petition on 4 Jun, and the duties of the Rehabilitation Plan Administration Committee will end if it is approved. THAI believes that its operational plans should continue to see strong growth despite Q2, especially May-Jun, being the low season. It has seen a recovery from the Australian market, which it expected to continue growing from Jul-Aug, coinciding with the European tourism season

Airports of Thailand (AOT) hosted the first public seminar to gather feedback for Phase 2 of the Phuket Airport Development Project at the Splash Beach Resort in Phuket, inviting over 150 stakeholders from the government, private sector, and local organisations. The project is expected to increase capacity to 18 million pax per year, with a focus on expanding the international terminal to handle 10.5 million pax per year. The project is being overseen by AOT with the assistance of the P.K.A.C. consulting group

Thai Airways International (THAI) advised passengers on South Asian and European routes to double-check their flight details as the airspace closure on the Pakistan-India border area could affect schedules. The carrier said that flights between Thailand and India were still operating normally, but flights to Pakistan may be affected. Flights to Europe would take 30-40 minutes longer due to adjusted flight paths

Thai Airways International (THAI) announced that flights to Europe may experience delays due to route changes from 7 May due to the Pakistan airspace closure. Affected flights include those from Bangkok to Frankfurt, Milan, Munich, Zurich, Copenhagen, London, Stockholm, and Oslo

Thai Airways International (THAI) cancelled flights to Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan on 8 May due to airspace closure

Surat Thani Police Chief reported that 20 people had filed a complaint on 21 Apr, accusing a woman of selling them air tickets at a 50% discount, of which only some were accepted when presented for travel. The woman allegedly scammed around 50 people, resulting in a loss of over 3.6 million THB

The Policy Committee of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) said that it will sign an agreement with the U-Tapao International Aviation (UTA) on 18 Jun for the construction of the 218.7 billion THB U-Tapao Airport and the Eastern Aviation City. Following the signing, the EEC will issue a notice to proceed (NTP) to the contractor to start the construction. The EEC is also awaiting approval for additional investment incentives for the U-Tapao Aviation City project, including allowing 24-hour alcohol sales and exempting restaurants from taxes. The Italian-Thai Development (ITD) won the bid for the construction of the 18.69 billion THB second runway of the airport. Investment in U-Tapao’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility remains pending Cabinet approval, with the Cabinet currently considering revoking Thai Airways International’s investment rights as it is no longer a state enterprise. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has submitted the revised contract for the high-speed rail project connecting three airports, which is expected to see one month of legal review by the Office of the Attorney General. It will then be forwarded to Asia Era One, the private consortium that won the bid, for final consideration. The project is expected to be presented to the EEC Board by Jun and proposed to the Cabinet by Jul

TAT is collaborating with Bangkok Airways and local partners to launch the “Trat Discovery: Islands and Beyond” campaign to stimulate tourism in the eastern region. The campaign allows travellers flying to Trat with Bangkok Airways, FlyerBonus members, and the general public to access exclusive discounts at over 50 participating cafés, restaurants, and accommodations across Trat, Ko Chang, Ko Mak, Ko Kut, and Chanthaburi

Thai Airways is enhancing passenger experience with upgrades under the themes “The New Worlds of Tomorrow” to celebrate its 65th anniversary and the “New Era” of it re-entering the stock market in Q3. The improvements include the addition of new Airbus A321 Neo Aircraft to its fleet by end-2025; new business class seats designed by Thompson Aero Seating; adopting the new Recaro R3 CL3810 seats for its economy class; offering free Wi-Fi for Royal Orchid Plus, Royal First Class, and Royal Silk Class members on the A321 Neo aircraft; offering limited-edition amenities kit by SIRIVANNAVARI on passengers traveling on Royal Silk Class to Milan, Paris, Tokyo, and Shanghai from May; introducing multi-format version of the Sawasdee in-flight magazine; and launching the “Street to Sky” campaign to bring Thai street food onboard

Thai Vietjet has reported that its Chinese passengers have dropped by 15-20% YoY, and that chartered flights from China saw the largest decease due to weakened demand. They noted that "the growth of the inbound Chinese market this year does not appear as promising as it did last year," but it is maintaining its Thailand-China capacity to keep its slots at China’s airports. It plans to promote these routes to Thai outbound tourists instead. The airline has seen an average load factor for Chinese flights around 85%, but a greater demand from Thai travellers. Thais account for 30-40% on the routes, vs 5-10% in the past. It does not see any new requests for chartered flights between May-Jul, signalling it could be tricky to meet the 6.7 million arrivals in 2024. It called on the government to launch marketing campaigns to boost confidence for Q4 2025

TAT and Etihad Airways signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), aiming to promote high quality travel experiences in Thailand through collaborative activities and promotion. Etihad is set to launch routes to Krabi in Oct and Chiang Mai in Nov

AirAsia Group signed a partnership with LIV Golf League team Ripper GC. Under the partnership, Ripper GC players will wear caps with the AirAsia logo at all LIV Golf events in the 2025 season

Airports of Thailand held the “AOT Property Showcase: The Six Pillars of Opportunity” event to attract private investment to develop 2,512 rai of land surrounding six major airports, with an estimated project value of 28.8 billion THB. Investment opportunities include logistics centres, warehouses, hotels, conference centres, shopping malls, hospitals, sports facilities, residential projects, and modern smart cities

General Manager of Phuket Airport projects 1,000-2,000 inbound Chinese passengers daily, down from over 3,000 during the high season. Airports of Thailand (AOT) data showed that Phuket Airport welcomed 1,370 Chinese arrivals daily from 1-21 Apr. Chinese carriers like Spring Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern Airlines have already cancelled some flights. The GM said that the airport recorded a decline in chartered and scheduled flights during the low season, amid safety concerns regarding call centre scams. He added that the Russian market for Phuket has exceeded the Chinese market. Some Russian carriers like Ikar Airlines and Azur Air have also reduced their chartered services during the low season, but flights from other countries, like Turkish Airlines, have helped to fill the gap. Phuket Airport saw 17,895 international flights in Q1, nearing the 18,036 recorded in 2019. The airport saw 3.5 million international passengers, surpassing the 3.28 million recorded in 2019. The airport saw 1.8 million domestic passengers in Q1, 89% of 2019 levels, and 13,152 domestic flights, 97% of 2019 levels. Total passengers are expected to reach 18 million in 2025, up from 16 million in 2024. A new international passenger which can accommodate 5 million passengers annually is under the designing process and is expected to begin construction in 2027, to be completed within three years. The new Andaman airport is also under the feasibility study stage, to be completed in the next few months. The airport is expected to be able to accommodate 22.5 million passengers

The Deputy Transport Minister announced plans to improve connectivity in the Northeast by 2027, including upgrading Nakhon Phanom Airport to increase flight handling capacity. The ministry has asked airlines to increase the number of daily flights to/from Nakhon Phanom to 12 a day. AirAsia will operate eight daily flights to the airport, and Thai Lion Air four, from 19 Jun. AirAsia and Nok Air are also planning to increase their frequency to Sakon Nakhon Airport. The government will also go forward with the construction of Mukdahan Airport once the environmental impact assessment is completed. The government is also planning to build Highway 223, which will connect the Second Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge in Mukdahan to the Third Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge in Nakhon Phanom. The government also plans to build a railway line from Ban Phai to Nakhon Phanom, construct a road along the banks of the Mekong River, and upgrade parts of the R12 highway that connects Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam

AirAsia to launch twice daily Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi)-Chiang Rai services and daily Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi)-Nakhon Si Thammarat services from 1 Oct

The Transport Ministry has allocated a 165.99 million THB budget to upgrade Nakhon Phanom Airport, including for water, electricity, facility purchases, and aircraft fire system upgrades. It also allocated a 4.29 million THB upgrade for Sakon Nakhon Airport. Aeronautical Radio of Thailand has allocated a budget of 359.47 million THB for projects from 2025-2029, including 208.91 million THB to upgrade the Instrument Landing System/Distance Measuring Equipment (ILS/DME) from FY2026; 40.11 million THB to upgrade the Digital Voice Recording and Replay System; 58.13 million THB to upgrade the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) at the NDB navigation station and air traffic control tower, currently under consideration; and 52.32 million THB to upgrade the UPS at the localiser station, which is under TOR review

AirAsia launched the Travelista campaign, created by Ogilvy Thailand. The campaign rolls out personalised sub-campaign ads, tailored to the specific travel purposes of different traveller segments. AirAsia also partnered with Thai travel influencers to create a trip planner on the campaign’s website, with curated itineraries across 60 destinations

Thai Lion Air will launch the Bangkok (Don Mueang)-Nakhon Phanom route on 19 Jun, with 2X daily flights. It will also launch the Udon Thani-U Tapao route from 11 Jun with 4X weekly flights; Bangkok (Don Mueang)-Changsha route from 1 May with daily flights; and Bangkok (Don Mueang)-Surabaya route from 30 May with 3X weekly flights

The Thai Transportation Ministry is to negotiate with Laos to use Savannakhet airport to ease travel to Thailand’s Mukdahan province, rather than build a new airport in the province. This would allow travellers to reach Mukdahan in just 10 minutes by car, compared to one hour from Sakon Nakhon Airport in Thailand. They will negotiate to allow Thai airlines to use the airport with the appropriate service charges to keep prices low

Thai Airways has signed an MoU with Kansas Modification Center, LLC, to convert Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft into cargo aircraft. These will take place at the Don Mueang MRO, with Thailand the first MRO centre with the capability to service Boeing 777-300 ER conversions

Thai Airways has confirmed its purchase of 45 Boeing 787-9s, as part of its rehabilitation plan. The purchase has fallen under the upcoming Thai-US bilateral discussions over tariffs, although the airline has said that it is too early to understand what the full impact of tariffs would be, and that any impact would be for the whole aviation industry, not just Thailand. It has not noted any significant drops in international passenger routes yet

Thai Airways International to is now offering daily direct Bangkok-Oslo flights. Thai Airways will also support the “Charity Walk-Run in Oslo” on 22 Jun, organised by the Royal Thai Embassy in Oslo and the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, as part of the 120th anniversary of the Thailand-Norway diplomatic relations

The Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) has proposed the government to invest 300 million THB to subsidise 1,000 charter flights from 20 second-tier Chinese cities across three months, in order to restore declining confidence from Chinese tourists. The flights are expected to carry around 150,000 Chinese tourists in total. Atta requested another 20 million THB to help TAT host a fam trip for the last week of May, which will invite 400 participants from Chinese travel agents from 30 provinces and media representatives. China Trading Desk’s study showed that Thailand ranked 7th in Chinese travellers’ outbound destinations in Q1 2025, down from 4th in Q4 2024

Thai Airways signed an agreement with Singapore lessor BOC aviation to deliver five Airbus A321neos from its current orderbook

Thai Lion Air to launch Udon Thani-Utapao services from Jun

Airports of Thailand reported that passenger numbers across its six airports reached over 2.6 million during the Songkran period from 11-17 Apr, +4.3% YoY, comprising 1.6 million international passengers (+3.1% YoY), and 1 million domestic passengers (+6.2% YoY). The airports handled 16,064 flights during the period, +7.6% YoY, comprising 8,752 international flights (+5.4% YoY) and 7,312 domestic flights (+10.3% YoY) • Suvarnabhumi Airport handled 1.3 million passengers, +3.6% YoY, and 7,345 flights, +6.6% YoY • Don Mueang Airport handled 664,470 passengers, +5% YoY, and 4,523 flights, +6.2% YoY • Chiang Mai Airport handled 169,690 passengers, +6.1% YoY, and 1,277 flights, +12.5% YoY • Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai Airport handled 40,340 passengers, +3.5% YoY, and 274 flights, +7% YoY • Phuket Airport handled 360,120 passengers, +4.1% YoY, and 2,173 flights, +8.2% YoY • Hat Yai Airport handled 67,590 passengers, +10% YoY, and 472 flights, +22% YoY

Thai Airways has signed a lease agreement with China Aircraft Leasing Group (CALC) for nine Airbus A321neos, with deliveries expected from 2026 to 2028

The Transport Minister announced that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had upgraded Thailand’s aviation safety level from Category 2 back to Category 1, which means Thai airlines can now resume or extend flight routes from Thailand to the US

Airbus’ Chief Sustainability Officer said that Thailand has the potential to produce up to five million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) per year due to its abundance of agricultural waste for feedstock. She noted that Airbus looks forward to working with the Thai government and SAF producers to develop the industry

Air France to launch Paris-Phuket services for the 2025-2026 winter schedule from 27 Nov, with three weekly flights

Thai AirAsia X plans to increase its registered capital by 1 billion THB in order to complete its court-approved rehabilitation process by year-end. CEO of Thai AirAsia X reported that the airline has already repaid 60%-70% of its 4.27 billion THB debt. The airline is currently focusing on routes with higher demand, like Japan, with new routes planned to be launch for Japan, Middle East, and Kazakhstan

Thai airlines are increasing their capacity and fleet: • Thai Airways International has signed an agreement to receive eight Airbus A330s and one A321, on lease in Q3, which will be used to expand operations to high-demand routes across China, India, Japan, and Germany. The expansion is expected to increase passenger numbers to 16.5 million in 2025, +3% YoY • Thai AirAsia plans to acquire six new jetliners in 2025, bringing its fleet to 66 aircraft. The airline aims to serve nearly 24 million passengers in 2025 and expand its fleet to 97 aircraft by 2030 • Thai AirAsia X plans to acquire 3-4 additional Airbus A330s to launch services to new destinations in Japan, Kazakhstan, and the Middle East • Bangkok Airways will receive an A319 and A320 in H2 2025, as well as 12 ATR 72-600s between 2026 and 2028. The airline expects passenger numbers to reach 4.7 million, +8% YoY • Thai Lion Air expects to receive 14 jets in 2024 and serve 6.6 million passengers in 2025, +10% YoY

Bangkok Airways forecasts 4.7 million pax and 48,077 flights in 2025, with Koh Samui routes central to its operating profit, seeing advance bookings increase by 14% for March-September 2025. It projects a load factor of 82%, with an average ticket price of 4,200 THB per seat. The airline plans to reopen its Samui-Kuala Lumpur flight, to enable European travellers to connect via Kuala Lumpur. It is planning to renovate Samui Airport’s passenger terminal from Q4 2025. It forecasts sales will be received 28% via its own website, and 72% via other channels. It is targeting the US, UK, Germany and Australia, and is strengthening its presence in Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, India and China