Short answer: Yes. Thai Airways holds a 7 out of 7 rating from the commercial ranking site AirlineRatings.com (as displayed 3 August 2026), is IOSA-registered under IATA’s audit programme, and Thailand’s aviation regulator has held the FAA’s top Category 1 safety rating since April 2025.
If you’re booking Thai Airways to Bangkok or elsewhere in Thailand, there’s no active regulatory red flag on the airline or the country today.
Current standing
The FAA restored Thailand to Category 1 in April 2025. No Thai carrier appears on the EU Air Safety List, and Thai Airways carries IOSA registration and a 7/7 AirlineRatings.com score.
The FAA downgrade (2015–2025)
The FAA dropped Thailand to Category 2 on 1 December 2015 over gaps in flight-inspector staffing and oversight procedures — not a finding against any specific airline. It stayed there until 21 April 2025, when the FAA updated Thailand’s rating back to Category 1.
The ICAO flag (2015–2017)
ICAO issued Thailand a Significant Safety Concern on 18 June 2015 after an audit found deficiencies in the regulator’s certification systems, scoring its effective implementation at just 33.53%. The flag was lifted on 6 October 2017 once corrective work was verified.
| Check | What it shows |
|---|---|
| FAA IASA rating | Category 1 since 21 April 2025 |
| ICAO Significant Safety Concern | None — lifted 6 October 2017 |
| ICAO USOAP effective implementation score | ~91.35% preliminary (Aug–Sep 2025 audit; global average ~70.5%; official figure due via ICAO in early 2026) |
| EU Air Safety List | No Thai carrier listed (current list) |
| Thai Airways IOSA registration | Registered; renewed on IATA’s standard two-year audit cycle |
| AirlineRatings.com score | 7 out of 7 (private commercial rating, not a regulator) |
What the downgrades actually meant
Neither flag grounded Thai Airways or restricted it from flying to Thailand’s own airports. Both were assessments of the country’s regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) — not of individual carriers’ fleets or crews.
The FAA’s Category 2 rating blocked Thai-registered airlines from adding new US routes or codesharing freely with US carriers; it didn’t mean existing flights were unsafe. ICAO’s Significant Safety Concern worked similarly, flagging that CAAT’s oversight systems fell short of international standards.
The UK’s CAA International helped CAAT rebuild its inspection and licensing systems from 2016, which let ICAO clear its flag in 2017. The FAA process ran longer, hitting a second round of findings in 2019 before CAAT’s reforms were judged sufficient in 2025.
Thai Airways’ own accident record
Thai Airways has had two major fatal accidents. Flight 311, an Airbus A310, crashed near Kathmandu on 31 July 1992, killing all 113 on board; investigators cited pilot error and loss of situational awareness in poor weather.
Flight 261, a Boeing 737, crashed near Surat Thani on 11 December 1998 after the crew lost control following repeated failed landing attempts, killing 101 of 146 occupants.
The airline’s only fatality since then was a single ground-crew death from a fuel-tank fire at Don Mueang in 2001. There has been no fatal in-flight accident in over 25 years.
What travellers should check
- Confirm your specific flight is operated by Thai Airways itself, not a codeshare partner with different oversight.
- Check the current EU Air Safety List and FAA IASA country ratings before travel, since both are updated periodically.
- Treat AirlineRatings.com and similar sites as one data point, not a substitute for official regulator findings.
Booking through Wego, you can compare Thai Airways fares alongside other carriers flying into Bangkok, and pair the flight with Thailand-wide hotel options for the rest of the trip.
FAQ
Is Thai Airways safe to fly in 2026?
Yes. Thailand holds the FAA’s top Category 1 rating, no Thai carrier is on the EU Air Safety List, and Thai Airways is IOSA-registered with a 7/7 AirlineRatings.com score.
What was the FAA Category 2 downgrade about?
It was a rating of Thailand’s aviation regulator’s oversight capacity, not of Thai Airways specifically. It ran from December 2015 to April 2025 and mainly restricted new US route authority and codeshares.
Has Thai Airways ever been banned from European airspace?
No. Thai Airways and other Thai carriers have never appeared on the EU Air Safety List.
Does Thai Airways have a history of crashes?
It has had two fatal accidents, in 1992 near Kathmandu and 1998 near Surat Thani. There has been no fatal in-flight accident since 1998.
Sources
- ASN News — FAA downgrades Thailand to Category 2 (December 2015)
- ch-aviation — FAA reinstates Thailand’s IASA Category 1
- Simple Flying — FAA reinstates Thailand’s Category 1 status
- ASN News — ICAO lifts Thailand’s Significant Safety Concern
- CAA International — Lifting the Significant Safety Concern in Thailand
- CAAT press release via Manila Times — Thailand’s ICAO EI score, August–September 2025 audit
- European Commission — EU Air Safety List
- AirlineRatings.com — Thai Airways safety rating
- Thai Airways International Flight 311 (1992, Kathmandu)
- Thai Airways International Flight 261 (1998, Surat Thani)
- IATA IOSA Registry — Thai Airways International
Disclaimer: Wego strives to ensure all information presented in this article is accurate and up to date at the time of publication. Travel policies, prices, visa requirements, and conditions can change rapidly. We strongly recommend verifying critical details with official sources before making travel decisions. Wego does not accept liability for any inaccuracies, oversights, or changes that may occur after publication.
