CNX: Chiang Mai Cancels 108 Flights for Yi Peng Festival Week

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — November 4, 2026 — Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) will cancel 108 flights and retime 80 more during the Yi Peng lantern festival, November 21–28, because of restrictions to keep the skies clear of lanterns, according to a report updated on November 4.

What happened

Flights affected: 188 in total, with 108 cancelled and 80 retimed. Separately, 105 extra flights have been added.
Night restrictions: 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on both festival nights. The report did not give the exact nights (TBA).
Daytime restriction: November 24, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Shorter operating day: on affected days, the airport’s operating hours shrink from about 20 hours to about 12.
Airlines: not named (TBA).
Caution: these figures come from a flight-disruption aggregator. We could not find a 2026 notice from Airports of Thailand or Thailand’s air navigation service to confirm them, so treat the numbers as provisional.

Item	Detail
Period	November 21–28, 2026
Night restriction	7:00 p.m.–1:00 a.m. on both festival nights (dates TBA)
Day restriction	November 24, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Cancelled / retimed / added	108 / 80 / 105

What it means for non-revs

Festival week is a poor bet for standby. Fewer flights during the restrictions plus festival crowds mean flights into and out of CNX are likely to be full.
Check your flight time again. With 80 flights retimed, a schedule you looked at earlier may have changed.
Go early, leave late. If you want to see Yi Peng, arrive before November 21 and plan to leave after November 28, or have a positive-space or paid backup.
Avoid night arrivals on festival nights. Flights between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. will not operate on those nights.