Bangkok's flag carrier is gearing up for a bigger winter. Thai Airways has unveiled an expanded schedule for October 2026 to March 2027, covering 66 domestic and international routes, with more capacity to Europe and fresh links into Vietnam and China.
For Europe-bound travellers, the headline change is frequency on some of the airline's most popular city pairs. Bangkok to Paris goes up to 14 flights a week — effectively two a day — while Zurich gets 11 weekly services and Munich 10. Amsterdam holds steady at a daily flight. Anyone who has struggled to find a convenient nonstop between Southeast Asia and continental Europe in peak winter season will read that as good news: more frequencies usually mean better award availability, easier rebooking when things go wrong, and more competitive fares as seats open up.
The more intriguing addition for holidaymakers is on the Asian side. Thai Airways will start flying twice daily from Bangkok to Da Nang, the beach city in central Vietnam that has become one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing resort destinations. A double-daily schedule signals real confidence in the route, and it makes multi-country trips far simpler — you could fly long-haul into Bangkok on Thai Airways, then hop over to Da Nang's beaches, the UNESCO-listed old town of Hoi An nearby, or the imperial city of Hue without touching a low-cost carrier.
Why it matters: Bangkok has long competed with Singapore and Doha as a connector between Europe and Asia, and this expansion leans into that role. For travellers, it means more one-stop options from European cities to Thailand and beyond, plus a legitimate full-service alternative for the Thailand-to-Vietnam leg of a twin-centre trip. It should also nudge hotels and tour operators in both countries to package routes together, which could mean some attractive combo deals as the new schedule beds in.
Worth noting for planners: the schedule runs through the Northern Hemisphere winter — peak season for escaping cold in either direction. Europeans chasing Thai sun and Thais heading for European Christmas markets will be competing for the same seats, so booking early on the boosted Paris, Zurich and Munich frequencies is wise. The twice-daily Da Nang flights, meanwhile, are a gift for spontaneous Southeast Asia hopping, where a short regional hop can slot neatly before or after a longer Thailand stay.