BANGKOK – Thailand’s Administrative Court has annulled a Labour Ministry regulation that allowed foreign pilots to operate domestic flights, ruling the exemption illegal. The decision, delivered on November 17, immediately nullifies a ministerial announcement issued in December 2024 that had permitted foreign pilots to fly under wet-lease arrangements.

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The ruling came in response to a legal challenge filed by the Thai Pilots Association, which contested the ministry’s approval of a private airline’s request to lease two Airbus A320 aircraft with foreign crews. While the court acknowledged the Labour Minister’s authority to grant such exemptions under the 2017 foreign workers law, it determined that this power should be reserved for specific situations involving national security or economic emergencies that do not undermine local employment.

Thailand’s Administrative Court has annulled a Labour Ministry order allowing foreign pilots to operate domestic flights, ruling the exemption unlawful. #ForeignPilots #AviationPolicy #ThailandNews #TheNationhttps://t.co/W5ajuLQp2w

— Thenationthailand (@Thenationth) November 18, 2025

The court found no compelling public interest or exceptional circumstance to justify the exemption, noting that it primarily benefited a single company. This was deemed an improper exercise of ministerial discretion under Thailand’s administrative law.

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The verdict is expected to reinforce job protections for Thai aviation professionals and establish stricter standards for justifying future labor market exceptions involving foreign workers.

-Thailand News (TN)