The royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) said it would lift its siege of the two main airports and end a 192-day campaign that has seen off two prime ministers allied to exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
'All protests will stop as of Dec 3 at 10am,' PAD founder Sondhi Limthongkul said.
The crippling airport blockade left 350,000 passengers stranded in the self-styled 'Land of Smiles' and caused massive economic losses to the tourism-dependent kingdom.
At Don Muang domestic airport, where the PAD protesters have been camping for a week, there was exultation at the removal of an administration seen as a Thaksin puppet.
'Thaksin should be executed,' said retired civil servant Chutamas Sae Koew. 'We are here because we feel the government is corrupt. I feel guilty any day that I don't join the protest.'
With the waning of the political crisis, the official in charge of Thailand's airports said Suvarnabhumi International Airport will resume operations on Friday. Mr Vudhibhandhu Vichairatana, chairman of Airports of Thailand, called the flights a birthday gift for the country's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who turns 81 on Friday.
Officials had earlier said the airport would not reopen for commercial flights before Dec 15, but Mr Vudhibhandhu said he brought forward the date because an inspection revealed the airport had suffered no damage and could become operational more quickly. There was no mention of the operations at Don Muang.
Suvarnabhumi reopened to cargo flights yesterday.
A spokesman for Singapore Airlines Cargo said that two freighter flights have been chartered to leave Singapore for Suvarnabhumi today. Each flight can carry more than 100 tonnes of cargo.
He added that SIA is 'reviewing the flights for Thursday to the end of the week'.
The news came as a relief to many Singapore logistics firms who had seen their backlogged deliveries pile up.
Mr Parrish Koh, managing director of VCK Vanuatu Air, had already been looking at shipping his cargo out to Thailand as an alternative.
But he said the re-opening of the airport is 'better for everyone'.
'Once it's opened up, everyone can get their cargo back out. A backlog like this has been creating a lot of unnecessary kinds of problems here.'
Mr Rajoo Amurdalingam, managing director of National Forwarder (Singapore), is planning to get his cargo on the first flight out.
But he added: 'We are expecting a lot of backlog so I foresee some problems. We can squeeze our cargo in, but who is going to effect the clearance of all the cargo? I would advise my customers to check with their counterparts whether they can effect the clearance before I make my move.'
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Additional reporting by Robin Chan