If you are flying out of Don Mueang, expect security to feel slightly different from today. Don Mueang International Airport announced on Tuesday 27 October that, from 1 November 2026, passengers who pass through walk-through metal detectors or body scanners will be checked with a pat-down instead of a handheld metal detector, Khaosod English and The Nation reported. The airport says the change strengthens aviation security in line with Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) regulations and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommendations.
What changes at the checkpoint
The familiar handheld wand is being retired at Don Mueang. If the walk-through arch or the body scanner flags something, a security officer will resolve it with a pat-down. The rules behind the change are set out in CAAT Regulation No. 113 on passenger and cabin baggage screening, signed on 10 October 2025 and published on the CAAT website on 14 October 2025. It requires every departing passenger to be screened by at least one approved method, such as a pat-down, a walk-through metal detector or a body scanner, and says any alarm must be resolved.
The airport has warned that the new procedure may make screening slightly slower and less convenient during busy periods, so it is advising passengers to allow extra time before their flights.
Your privacy and rights during a pat-down
CAAT Regulation No. 113 says a pat-down must be carried out by an officer of the same sex as the passenger. If screening takes place in a private room, it must be done with a third person of the same sex present. The regulation also allows private screening in certain situations, for example for passengers with a pacemaker or with limited mobility.
Don Mueang says screening will be carried out appropriately and with respect for passengers' rights. Passengers with physical limitations, injuries or implanted medical devices, and those who are pregnant, are asked to tell security staff so that suitable arrangements can be made.
How to get through security faster
Arrive earlier than usual for the first few weeks, especially at peak times. While you queue, put keys, coins, phones, belts and other metal items in your bag or a tray. Have liquids and electronics ready to take out for the scanner. Tell an officer before screening if you have a medical device, an injury or limited mobility, or if you are pregnant. If you would prefer a private screening, ask the officer.
What about Phuket and other airports?
The 1 November start date has been announced for Don Mueang. CAAT rules let airports keep using handheld metal detectors in limited cases until 31 December 2026, so practice at other airports, including Suvarnabhumi and Phuket, may differ for now. We have not seen confirmed start dates for other airports and will update this article if they are announced.
This change does not affect the checked-baggage inspection rules MEM has covered before, which deal with searches of hold luggage rather than passenger screening at the checkpoint.