According to the Bangkok Post, the board of directors of Thai International Airlines announced on October 2 that they had dismissed CEO Chai Nsiri from his position. Since the severe floods in Bangkok on September 25th, Thai International Airlines has experienced widespread chaos in flight scheduling and baggage handling.
The Thai Airways Board of Directors stated that ongoing operational issues include a large number of flight delays, chaotic baggage handling, and widespread failure in ground services. Therefore, they decided to remove Chat Ensiri from his position. The board also noted that these related issues have prompted the company to initiate formal accountability investigations to hold senior management accountable.
On September 30, 2026, local time, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, heavy rainfall and floods caused delays in the ground handling operations of Thai International Airlines. Passengers were searching for their luggage within the airport. Visual China
Under the chairmanship of Lavaron Sangsnit, the chairman of Thai Airways, the board of directors decided to appoint Samrit Samniang as a full-time acting CEO, and asked him to address the current operational crisis faced by the national airline as soon as possible.
Samrit was a senior executive at the Thai National Petroleum Exploration and Development Company, and is currently also a director of Thai Airways.
According to the Bangkok Post, Thai Airways has also established a committee to investigate another charge against Chai Nsiri, involving the purchase of 860,000 bottles of wine from a single supplier, worth over 800 million Thai baht (approximately 160 million RMB).
Recently, Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok was shut down due to flooding, resulting in a chaos in operations. A large number of employees were unable to arrive at work, and Thai Airways had to cancel some flights, with nearly 10,000 pieces of luggage left behind. To restore airport operations as soon as possible, the Thai government also deployed Royal Thai Air Force personnel to help handle the stranded luggage.
TAI Air has announced the cancellation of 24 flights scheduled for October 1st and 2nd, in order to handle over 10,000 pieces of baggage and cargo that have accumulated. The airline plans to resume all operations from October 3rd.
After the board meeting on Friday, Thai Airways said it will re-examine its management structure to prevent similar operational disruptions from happening again. The company will also reassess the employment models for ground crew and storage personnel, especially regarding multi-level subcontracting and outsourcing arrangements.
