Paweena Jariyathitipong, President of Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (SET: AOT), said AOT held discussions on September 25, 2026 with Erik Langhofer, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Global Safety & Regulatory Affairs, Asia-Pacific, and Tammie Kuo of Airport Engineering Technology at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a subsidiary of The Boeing Company.
The meeting focused on preparations for the potential operation of Boeing’s 777X aircraft at airports operated by AOT. The discussions covered airport readiness, particularly aircraft stand and parking management, as well as the preparation of other facilities required to accommodate the 777X. The initiative is intended to give airlines greater flexibility to consider deploying the aircraft on routes serving Thailand.
AOT said accommodating the 777X could help increase passenger traffic, enhance the capacity and capabilities of its airports while maintaining safety standards, and support the company’s goal of establishing Thailand as a world-class aviation hub. It could also provide further support for Thailand’s tourism industry and broader economic growth.
The Boeing 777X is a next-generation wide-body aircraft being developed by Boeing as a successor to the existing 777 family. Airlines operating or having ordered the aircraft include Korean Air, China Airlines, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Air India, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar Airways and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) held the second meeting of its 2026 Slot Allocation Committee to prepare capacity planning for airport operations during the Summer 2027 scheduling season and review slot utilization during the previous season.
The meeting aimed to ensure that slot allocations are aligned with airport capacity and that Thailand’s limited aviation resources are utilized as efficiently as possible.
The committee reviewed airport capacity and operational readiness, as well as challenges, constraints and other factors that could affect airlines’ flight scheduling plans.
Airports have also prepared measures to improve operations and service efficiency to accommodate growing passenger and flight volumes. These include expanding the use of automated gates at Suvarnabhumi Airport and improving systems and operational management at Chiang Mai and Phuket airports to optimize available capacity.
The committee also reviewed slot utilization during the previous scheduling season to ensure that allocated slots are actually being used and to reduce the holding of unused slots. This would allow airlines with available capacity to use those slots to add flights and expand connectivity.
CAAT will use the meeting’s findings and airport-capacity data to support preparations for slot allocation for the Summer 2027 season, ensuring that airline schedules are aligned with the operational readiness of each airport while maximizing the fair and efficient use of available capacity.
According to an International Air Transport Association (IATA) satisfaction survey on the performance of slot coordinators, Thailand received an overall score of 7.17, slightly above the global average of 7.16 and the regional average of 6.86.
The results reflect Thailand’s operational efficiency and service standards in coordinating and managing airport slot allocation, according to the assessment.
