Thailand's Nok Air suspended from operating international flights amid safety violations

The order was detailed in a letter sent to Nok Air's chief executive on Aug. 25, citing operational deficiencies, including personnel-related incidents and flight performance issues, the Bangkok Post reported.

According to the letter, from 2023 to 2025 the airline experienced in-flight engine shutdowns, runway excursions, hard landings, and tail strikes. The cause of the engine shutdown remains unclear, continuing to raise concerns about operational safety, it added.

Currently, Nok Air is not operating international flights due to the low season. In peak season, the airline serves three destinations in China and two in India.

Chief executive Wutthiphum Jurangkool said the airline was preparing a response to the allegations and was confident the restrictions could be lifted within a month, Nation Thailand reported.

He confirmed the engine shutdown occurred on Jan. 8, 2024, on a flight bound for Nanning, China.

The flight landed safely using the remaining engine, after which the faulty engine was removed and replaced, he said. However, when the CAAT requested a root-cause analysis, Nok Air was unable to provide one because the airline no longer had the engine.

"In our 21 years of operation, Nok Air has never had a fatal accident," he said, as cited by Nation Thailand.

"Of course, we've experienced incidents such as the runway excursion during heavy rain at Chiang Rai Airport in 2022, but such force majeure events can happen to any airline."

He added that Nok Air's safety standards are certified by an International Air Transport Association (IATA) operational safety audit and comply with all CAAT regulations. The airline also works closely with Boeing and software providers that regularly monitor pilot operations.