Thailand Reclaims Unused Flight Slots, Allocates to Ready Airlines
Thailand's aviation authority is reclaiming unused flight slots from airlines and reallocating them to carriers ready to expand operations, as part of capacity planning for 2027. The move aims to maximize airport efficiency while Thai airpo
Thailand's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) Director Manat Chuanprayoon announced on September 24 that the authority held its second slot allocation committee meeting for 2025 to prepare capacity planning for the Summer 2027 flight schedule. The meeting reviewed airport capabilities and readiness alongside challenges and factors affecting airline scheduling, with airports preparing operational improvements such as expanding automatic gates at Suvarnabhumi and system upgrades at Chiang Mai and Phuket airports.
CAAT emphasized slot monitoring as a critical mechanism for managing airport capacity, following international guidelines to reclaim underutilized slots and redirect them to airlines with operational readiness to increase flights and connectivity. The authority operates as a neutral, transparent coordinator without commercial interests in airports or airlines, using capacity data and actual slot usage in its management. Thailand received an IATA satisfaction rating of 7.17 points, exceeding the global average of 7.16 and regional average of 6.86, reflecting strong performance in slot coordination services. The meeting outcomes and airport capacity data will inform Summer 2027 slot allocation planning to optimize aviation infrastructure use efficiently and fairly.
