Thai Tourism Minister Urges Thai Airways Management to Resign

Thai Tourism Minister Urges Thai Airways Management to Resign

BANGKOK, Sept. 30, 2026 — Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul has sharply criticized Thai Airways over a massive baggage backlog at Suvarnabhumi Airport, accusing the airline’s management of failing to respond adequately to the flood-related disruption and warning that the crisis is damaging Thailand’s tourism image.

Surasak said he personally inspected the situation at the airport after passengers were reportedly forced to wait five to six hours or longer to collect their luggage.

Heavy rain and flooding prevented many baggage handlers from reaching work, causing luggage to accumulate and disrupting subsequent aircraft operations, the minister said.

However, Surasak also questioned how Thai Airways managed its limited workforce.

He alleged that the airline had continued using some available staff to provide baggage-handling services for other airlines under existing contracts, apparently to avoid contractual penalties, while its own passengers faced severe delays.

Thai Airways has separately attributed the crisis primarily to flood-related staff shortages and the unusually heavy workload at its Bangkok hub. Chief Executive Chai Eamsiri said the airline had prepared contingency plans but found that the disruption was significantly worse than anticipated.

Surasak also criticized the airline’s coordination with military personnel sent to assist with the baggage crisis.

The Defence Ministry and military had deployed personnel and vehicles to help move and sort delayed luggage. Surasak alleged that Thai Airways did not provide adequate information, food or accommodation for some of the personnel, forcing them to return to their units for meals before coming back to the airport.

“Everyone wanted to help, but Thai Airways seemed not to provide any information or make enough effort to solve the problem,” Surasak said, warning that the disruption was affecting Thailand’s image, tourism sector and the reputation of its national carrier.

Thai Airways has brought in military personnel, additional employees and outside operators to help clear the backlog. The airline said approximately 5,000–5,600 bags had been stranded at Suvarnabhumi and set a target of clearing the backlog within about 72 hours.

The minister also expressed concern about a proposal to deliver delayed baggage to passengers’ hotels if the process took several days.

He argued that international visitors could not reasonably wait for their luggage for up to a week, particularly if they were scheduled to return home before their belongings arrived.

Surasak questioned whether the airline’s current management was doing enough to resolve the situation and suggested that executives unwilling to address the crisis should consider stepping aside.

“If they don’t want to do the job, they should quickly reconsider whether they should remain in the position, so someone who wants to do the work can come in and help,” he said, according to Thai media reports.

He stressed that his criticism was not directed at one individual but concerned the reputation of Thailand as a whole.

Surasak also called on the Finance Ministry, which remains Thai Airways’ largest shareholder despite the airline’s status as a private company, to convene a board meeting to discuss the disruption and determine measures to address its consequences.

The controversy comes as Thai Airways struggles to restore normal operations after several days of flood-related disruption at its Bangkok hub.

The airline has reduced Bangkok flight capacity by roughly 30% to 40%, while delays and cancellations have affected hundreds of flights. It has also deployed additional personnel and shifted some ground-handling work to other operators.

Suvarnabhumi Airport has remained operational, but the airport previously said flooding had prevented some Thai Airways ground-handling workers from reporting for duty, while mechanical problems with some baggage carts further slowed baggage operations.

The dispute has now placed Thai Airways management under increased public and government scrutiny, with the airline facing pressure to clear thousands of delayed bags while restoring normal flight operations.

Surasak said the airline expected it could take another three to four days to fully clear the backlog and return operations to normal if weather conditions improve and workers are able to return to their posts.