Thai Airways

Is Thai Airways safe?

Yes. No passenger has died on a Thai Airways flight since 1998, and the airline is IOSA-registeredIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary. Two things hold its score at 77: two widebodies were written offHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary after landing accidents at Bangkok within five years, and its home regulator spent almost a decade in FAA Category 2FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary, only returning to Category 1 in April 2025.

The record: old crashes, recent write-offs

Thai Airways' fatal crashes are old. In July 1992, TG311, an Airbus A310, flew into high ground near Kathmandu, killing all 113 people on board. On 11 December 1998, TG261, another A310, stalled and crashed on approach to Surat Thani in rain; 101 of the 146 people on board died.

On 3 March 2001, the centre fuel tank of a Boeing 737-400 exploded while the aircraft stood at a gate in Bangkok before a flight to Chiang Mai. A flight attendant died and the aircraft burned out. The most likely ignition source was the tank's fuel pump, running in a tank heated by the air-conditioning packs beneath it.

The more recent losses were both on flight TG679 from Guangzhou, both at Suvarnabhumi:

• 8 September 2013: an Airbus A330-300 veered off the runway after landing when a main landing gear beam broke apart. The right engine caught fire and 12 or more people were hurt during the evacuation. Thai investigators found errors in the overhaul and inspection of that gear beam.
• 8 October 2018: a Boeing 747-400 ran off the left side of the runway after landing and came to rest in the grass. No one was hurt, but the jet was written offHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary.

Why Thailand was in FAA Category 2 for ten years

In 2015, an ICAO audit found serious gaps in Thailand's oversight, particularly in how it certified airlines, and ICAO raised a "significant safety concern". In December 2015 the FAA moved Thailand to Category 2FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary, which barred Thai airlines from starting or expanding US routes, including codeshares with US airlines.

Thailand replaced its old aviation department with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and re-certified its airlines. ICAO cleared the concern in October 2017. The FAA took much longer: a 2019 review still found problems, and Category 1 only came back in April 2025. Today no Thai airline is on the EU Air Safety ListEU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary.

For Thai Airways itself, IATA membership means an IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary audit every two years, which it kept up through the downgrade. Oversight scores 74 because the regulator's long Category 2 period ended only in April 2025.

The fleet after bankruptcy

Thai Airways entered court-supervised rehabilitation in 2020 with debts of more than 400 billion baht. It shed older aircraft, including its 747s and A380s, and the Central Bankruptcy Court approved its exit from the plan on 16 June 2025.

At 30 June 2026 it had 84 aircraft, according to its quarterly update reported by CAPA, and in the second quarter it took one 787-9, four A321neos and three 787-8s. Long-haul flights use Airbus A350s, Boeing 787s and 777-300ERs. Regional flights use A320s, inherited when the airline absorbed its subsidiary Thai Smile, and new A321neos. A fleet tracker put the average age at about 10 years in 2025.

Recent incidents

• 14 September 2024: an A350 arriving from Melbourne ran off the left side of the runway on landing at Bangkok and broke seven runway edge lights. Thailand's investigation committee classed it as a serious incident.
• 20 August 2025: TG925, an A350 from Munich to Bangkok, hit turbulence; four people were seriously injured.
• 1 January 2020: an A350 on approach to Frankfurt at night descended to under 700 feet about 6.5 nautical miles from the runway, triggering ground proximity warnings. The crew went around and landed on the second attempt. Germany's BFU investigated.

Earlier in the ten-year window, A330s ran off the runway at Phuket and overran at Islamabad in December 2017, and a 777-300 had an uncontained engine failure during a rejected take-off at Bangkok in October 2019 (AeroInside).

None of these caused deaths, but three events in six years on the newest type, plus the earlier excursions and the two write-offsHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary, keep the incidents score at 66.

How to fly Thai Airways safely

• Keep your belt fastened when seated, especially from May to October, when monsoon storms build quickly over the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
• On connections through Bangkok, check whether your domestic leg is flown by Thai Airways itself or by a partner with its own certificate.

How we scored it

The accident record (82) is good: no fatal crash in more than 25 years, but two non-fatal write-offsHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary. Oversight (74) and incidents (66) are the weak points. Singapore Airlines scores 85 with a stronger regulator; Malaysia Airlines scores 71 because of MH370.