CAAT co-ordinates 87 airline slot talks for Thailand winter flights
CAAT took part in SC158 in Bangkok to co-ordinate Winter 2026/2027 airport slots, as 87 of 146 airlines sought meetings on Thailand flights.
- The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) coordinated with 87 global airlines at the IATA Slot Conference to manage flight allocations for the Winter 2026/2027 schedule.
- The discussions focused on schedule adjustments, additional flights, and new routes for Thailand's six busiest airports, including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and Phuket.
- As a result of the talks, four new airlines received slot allocations to fly to Thailand: Riyadh Air, Virgin Atlantic, SkyUp Nistru, and AirBorneo.
- The new slot allocations will also support the opening and expansion of key routes connecting Thailand with cities such as London, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Shanghai.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) attended the 158th Slot Conference (SC158) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), held in Bangkok from Tuesday (June 9, 2026) to Thursday (June 11, 2026), to co-ordinate and manage airport slot allocations for the Winter 2026/2027 flight schedule.
CAAT took part as Slot Coordinator for Thailand’s Level 3 airports, a group of airports with high travel demand: Suvarnabhumi Airport, Don Mueang International Airport, Phuket International Airport, Chiang Mai International Airport and Samui International Airport, as well as U-Tapao International Airport, a Level 2 airport.
In this role, it manages slot allocations for maximum benefit, taking into account the efficient use of airport capacity and international criteria, while promoting international travel and supporting Thailand’s role as a key destination in the region.
This is in line with establishing Thailand as a regional aviation hub.
The conference drew strong interest from airlines worldwide, with 87 of 146 airlines requesting meetings to discuss schedule adjustments, additional flights and new routes to Thailand.
87 global airlines seek Thailand slots for this winter schedule
The airlines that met CAAT to discuss slot allocation and operations in Thailand covered both passenger and cargo flights from various regions worldwide.
They included:
- Europe: AeroLogic, Air France, Cargolux Airlines, Condor, Finnair, KLM, LOT Polish Airlines, Neos, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), SWISS, Turkish Airlines, TUI Airways, Virgin Atlantic and World2Fly.
- Middle East: Air Arabia, Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Riyadh Air, Royal Jordanian and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
- Americas: Air Canada, Federal Express (FedEx) and United Parcel Service (UPS).
- Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): Aeroflot, S7 Airlines and Turkmenistan Airlines.
- Asia-Pacific: Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai VietJet Air, Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, K-Mile Air, China Eastern Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, Air Macau, China Airlines, EVA Air, Starlux Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Air India, IndiGo, Singapore Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Cebu Pacific and other leading airlines in the region.
Four new airlines allocated slots to fly to Thailand
In addition, new airlines that received airport slot allocations for the Winter 2026/2027 schedule were Riyadh Air from Saudi Arabia, Virgin Atlantic from the United Kingdom, SkyUp Nistru from Moldova and AirBorneo from Malaysia.
These will help increase travel choices and promote air connectivity between Thailand and various regions of the world.
The results of slot allocation for the season also support the opening and expansion of key routes between Thailand and other countries, including:
- Helsinki – Suvarnabhumi – Melbourne, and return (fifth freedom traffic rights)
- Taichung – Suvarnabhumi, and return
- Minsk – Suvarnabhumi, and return
- Kuching – Suvarnabhumi, and return
- London (Gatwick) – Phuket, and return
- London (Heathrow) – Phuket, and return
- Copenhagen – Phuket, and return
- Chisinau – Phuket – Sharjah
- Cebu – Phuket, and return
- Hangzhou – Chiang Mai, and return
- Shanghai – Chiang Mai, and return
These routes will help increase the country’s potential in tourism, trade and investment, as well as support air connectivity between Thailand and major cities worldwide and promote Thailand’s role as a regional aviation hub.
The Slot Conference is an important forum for the global aviation industry, giving airlines and slot co-ordinators from major airports worldwide an opportunity to hold discussions to improve the efficiency of aviation network planning and develop air connectivity.
It also creates opportunities to open new routes, offering passengers more travel choices and supporting the overall growth of the aviation industry.
On the same occasion, CAAT also attended the 31st Asia/Pacific Airport Coordinators Association (APACA) meeting to exchange information, news and practices on slot allocation with member countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
CAAT also followed developments in aviation slot management under international criteria and standards, which will help improve the efficiency of Thailand’s long-term flight-slot management.
