Thai Airways Suspends CEO Chai Eamsiri Amid Flood Disruption Review

BANGKOK — Thai Airways (TG) has suspended Chief Executive Officer Chai Eamsiri from his duties while its board reviews crisis management after flooding disrupted operations at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). Director Samrit Samniang began serving as acting CEO on October 2.

The board's disclosure to the Stock Exchange of Thailand says Chai was directed to stop performing CEO duties during a fact-finding review of how the airline managed the late-September crisis. It does not announce a permanent dismissal or say when the review will end. The company said it would disclose material findings or developments to the exchange.

Flight cuts and delayed bags

Thai Airways published cancellations across domestic and international routes from September 29 through October 3. In a separate October 1 statement, it said it had reduced 15 flights that day and nine on October 2 to match available capacity, and planned to operate its full schedule on October 3. Its operational page, however, still lists the Bangkok–Amsterdam round trip as canceled on October 3. The same page lists Seoul–Bangkok flight TG657 as canceled in an earlier notice, then reinstates it in a later update. The airline's notices therefore do not establish that the entire October 3 schedule was restored.

Flooding kept some workers from reaching Suvarnabhumi and left bags awaiting processing. Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said about 8,000 bags remained in the backlog on September 30, from disruptions between September 26 and 28. That figure is a dated snapshot, not a current count. Passengers also faced flight cancellations and changes at Bangkok, the airline's principal hub.

The board directed a fact-finding inquiry and a review of crisis-management procedures after the floods affected aviation operations and the company's reputation. Its filing makes no finding that Chai personally caused the disruption. Samrit is carrying out the CEO's duties while that review proceeds.

The filing does not say whether Chai will resume his duties or when the board expects to complete its review. Chai previously spoke to *Airways* about leading the airline out of rehabilitation; an airline investor-relations disclosure records the court's termination of the rehabilitation process in 2025. The current inquiry concerns the carrier's operational response after that financial restructuring.