Photo Credit: NOK Air
More than a dozen student pilots have won a lawsuit against Nok Air over additional training fees imposed outside the terms of their co-pilot employment contracts, in a ruling that has been described as setting an important legal precedent for the aviation industry.
The Court of Justice ordered the airline to pay compensation amounting to one-third of the total damages of 32.5 million baht to 13 student pilots who filed the lawsuit, citing a breach of contract. The plaintiffs prevailed in August 2025 after filing the case early last year.
Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, president of the Thai Pilots Association, said the ruling establishes an industry standard that protects pilots from unfair employment practices and prevents airlines from shifting training costs onto recruits without contractual basis.
Under the ruling, each pilot is to receive compensation reflecting roughly one-third of the approximately 2.5 million baht they personally paid for initial training to obtain a commercial pilot licence (CPL). However, the pilots intend to appeal the decision, seeking to increase compensation to half of the total damages. Nok Air has also indicated plans to appeal the verdict and pursue a defamation lawsuit against the pilots, according to media reports.
Mr Teerawat said the dispute originated from a student pilot programme launched by Nok Air prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants were required to complete flight training overseas at designated institutions, paying tuition fees of about 2.5 million baht each. In return, the airline guaranteed employment as co-pilots upon successful completion of the CPL.
While some trainees were hired, others were left without employment after the pandemic severely disrupted the aviation sector. Although the airline maintained contact with the remaining pilots and encouraged them to wait for future opportunities, it did not fulfil its contractual obligations, Mr Teerawat said.
The situation escalated when Nok Air later introduced a new co-pilot programme requiring CPL-qualified pilots to pay at least 2 million baht for additional training to obtain an aircraft type rating. This prompted former student pilots to seek clarification and request enforcement of their original contracts.
Instead, the airline’s human resources department asked the pilots whether they could afford type-rating training costing around 3 million baht—an expense not stipulated in their contracts. A meeting arranged to discuss employment was replaced with a skills and knowledge assessment.
According to the lawsuit, the testing process violated industry standards. One examiner conducted the test via video conference without disclosing their identity, while two others were applicants for the airline’s new co-pilot programme. Mr Teerawat said examiners are required to be experienced, qualified, and transparent.
Several days later, the pilots were informed they had failed the assessment and were instructed to retake the test and undergo a new written interview alongside fresh applicants. The pilots viewed this as unfair treatment and a breach of contract.
After repeated requests for the airline to honour its obligations went unanswered, the 13 pilots decided to pursue legal action.