Low-cost airline cancels all international flights over safety issues

Over the last few years, the number of low-cost airlines operating in Asia has expanded significantly.

Some of the biggest names are AirAsia Group in Malaysia and IndiGo out of India, while newcomers to the space include ANA offshoot Air Japan, Akasa Air, and the Really Cool Airlines that is aiming to start flights from Thailand in 2026.

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Amid intense competition for certain routes and cities, some plans for a new airline also do not survive the market.

Last July, Qantas Airways (QUBSF) offshoot Jetstar formally shut down its Jetstar Asia branch after struggling to bring in passengers for flights out of its Singapore base.

String of safety incidents prompts audit, suspended flights for Thai low-cost carrier

Launched out of the Thai capital of Bangkok in 2004, budget airline Nok Airlines (NOKFF) quickly expanded with dozens of domestic flights across the country and eventually some short-distance international ones to India and China.

But as first reported by the Bangkok Post, the carrier is now suspending all its international flights after getting pinged by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) for a string of safety and staffing issues.

The letter sent to Nok Airlines CEO Wutthiphum Jurangkool on Aug. 25 reveals a safety audit spurred by a string of incidents that took place between 2023 and 2025. While the airline is not permitted to run international flights until the audit is complete on Aug. 8, it had already stopped running them earlier in the year, citing low demand.

Some of the incidents described in the letter include an engine shutdown (the flight was diverted safely) and a string of pilots and flight instructors who resigned in 2024 due to what they described as poor work culture.

Nok Airlines launched out of Bangkok in 2004.

Image source: Shutterstock

Rate of incidents for Nok Airlines “has been significant”

“The rate of incidents over the past two to three years has been significant, including occurrences such as engine in-flight shutdowns, runway excursions, hard landings, and tail strikes,” Air Chief Marshal and CAAT General Director Manat Chavanaprayoon said in a statement.

Nok Airlines was last registered as owning 14 Boeing 737-800 (BA) aircraft that it used to operate flights to Thai destinations such as Chiang Rai, Trang, Hat Yai, Udon Thani, and Krabi from main bases in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. The airline is also not permitted to launch its network or otherwise launch any new flights while the audit is ongoing.

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In response, a Nok Airlines representative said in a statement that its workforce remains “sufficient and qualified” while the airline is “committed to upholding the highest safety standards and improving service quality across all operations.”

The Nok Airlines audit comes at a time when Thai regulatory agencies are embarking on a widescale audit of aviation safety in the country in general in order to ensure they continue to meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.

Amid a recent ebb in tourist numbers compared to previous years, Thailand has taken a multi-pronged approach to bring in international visitors and launch more direct flights from both nearby and distant countries.

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