Thai Airways CEO Chai is suspended under investigation over controversy over luggage stranded in floods

(Central News Agency reporter Li Zongxian, Bangkok, 3rd) Thai Airways (Thai Airways) has recently caused controversy due to a large number of luggage being stranded at the airport. The board of directors of Thai Airways decided on the 2nd that CEO Chai Ansiri will cease to perform his duties as CEO with immediate effect and accept an investigation for crisis management and operational errors during the flood, but he will still remain as a director of the company.

The Standard reported today that the Thai Airways board of directors pointed out that the Bangkok floods at the end of September caused significant flight delays, baggage handling chaos and ground service failures, and operational problems continued to expand. Therefore, it decided to ask CEO Chai Eamsiri to stop performing his duties to review the company's crisis management process and related responsibilities.

Thai Airways recently stated that due to flooding, some employees were unable to arrive at work normally, and due to a shortage of manpower for ground handling operations, more than 10,000 pieces of luggage and cargo were waiting to be processed at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

In addition, Thai Airways canceled a total of 24 flights on October 1 and 2. The board of directors stated that it will re-examine the management structure and the employment system of ground handling and warehousing personnel in the future.

The Bangkok Post pointed out that Chai Ansili was interviewed on the 2nd and said that he had reported the flood situation, the impact on the company's operations and related suggestions to the board of directors, and then left the meeting, allowing the directors to continue the discussion.

He said that the board of directors informed him of the suspension decision, but did not clearly explain the specific reasons. He still retains his status as a director of the company.

Regarding whether the suspension is fair, he said that it is "unfair" from the perspective of being directly responsible for handling the crisis, but from the perspective of board governance, in order to maintain transparency and avoid interfering with investigations, "it is fair."

According to reports, Chai Ansili joined Thai Airways, was promoted to chief financial officer, and was appointed CEO in 2023.

Thai Airways entered the reorganization process under bankruptcy protection in 2020, cutting the number of employees in half and reducing the size of its fleet. Since then, its financial situation has gradually improved. As of June 30 this year, the airline operated a total of 84 aircraft, covering 61 destinations in 27 countries.

Chai Ansili has won praise from the industry and investors for successfully leading Thai Airways back to financial health. After completing the debt restructuring plan, the company's shares resumed trading on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in August 2025.

Thai Airways' stock price closed at 5.70 baht (approximately NT$5.41) on the 2nd, an increase of 0.05 baht from the previous day, with a total transaction volume of 706 million baht.