The Bags Piled Up in Bangkok, and Now Thai’s CEO Is Out

The fallout from Thai Airways’ baggage crisis at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport has reached the top of the company. The airline’s board voted to remove chief executive Chai Eamsiri, effective Friday, October 2. The decision came at a board meeting chaired by Lavaron Sangsanit, the permanent secretary of Thailand’s Finance Ministry and chairman of the Thai Airways board, which had been called to review how the airline handled passenger services during the disruption.

The trouble began when flooding in Bangkok combined with staff shortages in ground operations. Baggage handling and flight operations fell behind, bags accumulated in the thousands and passengers faced long delays. Thailand’s transport minister publicly criticized the airline over the stranded luggage earlier in the week. The board reviewed both the operational failures and measures to prevent a repeat, as well as Chai’s broader management of the national carrier.

Chai’s term had been due to run until January 2027, and Thai Airways had already been recruiting a successor, with applications closing on September 30. In the meantime, the board appointed Samrit Samniang as acting CEO. He is a former finance executive at PTT Exploration and Production who joined Thai’s board as an independent director and audit committee member in June 2025, giving the airline a finance-focused interim leader as it continues its long restructuring.

For travelers, a change of leadership will not clear the backlog overnight. Regional trackers still showed heavy delays at Suvarnabhumi on October 1 as monsoon rain and recovery work continued. If you are flying Thai through Bangkok in the coming days, consider traveling with carry-on only where possible, photograph your bag and its tags, and file a property irregularity report at the airport before leaving if your luggage does not arrive. Allow extra time for connections.

Sources: Khaosod English, The Thaiger