Thai Airways International Brings Forward 777-300ER Introduction

Posted 14/07/2011

Asian flag carrier Thai Airways International confirmed it is to accelerate the introduction of two leased Boeing 777-300ERs into its fleet as it revealed its long-term fleet renewal strategy this week.  The airline’s board agreed in April this year to lease an additional two 777-300ERs from Jet Airways for a two-year period, adding to the three aircraft it acquired from the Indian airline last year.  These are configured in the exact same 312-seat layout - 312 seats – eight seats in Royal First Class, 30 seats in Royal Silk Class, and 274 seats in Economy Class – and have the same in-flight product to the existing aircraft. 

Under the terms of the original deal Thai had planned to introduce the aircraft from October 25 but it confirms that it has now modified this agreement and to “improve its competiveness” will now receive the aircraft on July 26 and will use them to operate its three times weekly flights between Bangkok and Madrid from August 1, a route currently flown using a 747-400.  Alongside the three leased 777-300ERs, Thai currently operates six 777-300s on flights from Bangkok to Athens, Dhaka, Melbourne, Moscow Domodedovo, Paris CDG, Phuket, Seoul Incheon, Singapore and Tokyo Narita.

Thai has also outlined plans to retire 50 aircraft from service over the next six years.  In a formal statement it confirmed that it will remove four 747-400s from service in 2012-2013; 13 A330-600s between 2011 and 2015; nine 737-400s (including four aircraft from Nok Air) in 2014-2015; the five leased 777-300ERs in 2015; two 777-200s and three A330-300s in 2017 and two ATR 72 turboprops the same year. It will also retire its four A340-500s between 2012 and 2013 and six A340-600s between 2015 and 2017 and has dropped its immediate plans to retrofit these jets with its revised onboard product.

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