Thailand-based carrier, Thai Airways, is looking to get board approval to acquire up to 10 new widebody aircraft in the near future, as the airline is looking to make up for the capacity lost by retiring some of the airline’s older jets.
Having had its fleet investment plans refused three times previously, the airline’s CEO states that there are high stakes involved, and the need for the airline to increase its fleet capacity is deemed “absolutely necessary” in order for the carrier to maintain its position and connectivity in the region.
Proposal For Up To 10 New Widebody Jets
Thai Airways is reportedly set to submit its proposal for fleet expansion to the airline’s Board of Directors next week, on October 23. Reports from The Nation Thailand indicate that the carrier is hoping to get a green light to procure between eight and 10 wide-body aircraft on lease, to recover the capacity lost from retiring nine of its jets.
The airline expects to utilize these aircraft on short-term leases of approximately six years, and if the plan is green-lit, would enter into service with the airline around the middle of 2026. Thai’s CEO states that the capacity is “absolutely necessary”, without which, there could be a significant fleet imbalance, and that the airline’s planned network strategy will be hindered, preventing the airline from improving connectivity.
The need for leasing aircraft when the airline already has dozens of new aircraft on order is primarily because of delivery delays faced, especially for the Boeing 787 aircraft, and to recover capacity lost by the retirement of aircraft, along with the grounding of a portion of the airline’s fleet due to shortages of parts for their Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
Trying Again For The Fourth Time
It is worth noting that this will not be the first time the airline has presented a fleet expansion proposal to its board, as reports suggest that the airline has been turned away on previous occasions.
Reports suggest that on one of the previous occasions, the airline had been negotiating for three Boeing 777-300ER and six Dreamliner aircraft; however, the deal fell through, forcing the airline to abandon negotiations. Additionally, as per another recent report from The Nation Thailand, the board had rejected the airline proposal to lease Airbus A330-200 aircraft for a total cost exceeding $400 million, for the aircraft, crew training, spares, and more.
The board cited the reason that this move is in direct contradiction to the airline’s plans when it was in its five-year business rehabilitation plan, to simplify its fleet. With the upcoming proposal, the airline’s CEO, Chai Eamsiri commented to The Nation,
“The original deals that were negotiated but not concluded were closed by other airlines. Therefore Thai Airways must now urgently procure new leased aircraft to replace the retired ones.”
“We will submit this matter to the Board meeting on October 23, and I can confirm they will be wide-body aircraft to support our traditional long-haul routes.”
Thai’s Fleet Modernization Plans
Data from ch-aviation indicates the airline currently operates seven aircraft variants across five families, and in the coming years, will consolidate its fleet to operate five variants across four families.
The airline had retired its fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 747s during the pandemic, and in the coming years, Thai Airways will also retire other aging aircraft variants, such as the Boeing 777-200ERs and the Airbus A330-300s, replaced by incoming newer generation aircraft such as the Boeing 787s. On the narrowbody side, the airline currently only operates Airbus A320-200s, but is expecting its first of 32 Airbus A321neo aircraft in the coming months.
Data shows that the airline had 79 aircraft in June, and the carrier is expecting to gradually replace aging aircraft, while also growing its fleet in the coming years, with the aim of operating 150 aircraft by 2033. The airline’s intended fleet structure by that point is expected to be as follows:
|
Aircraft |
Boeing 777-300ER |
Boeing 787 (multiple variants) |
Airbus A350-900 |
Airbus Narrowbodies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Expected Number |
15 |
66 |
17 |
52 |
It will be interesting to see the response from Thai Airways’ board to the proposal being submitted next week, which should give insight into the aircraft type the airline is looking to lease in the short term and whether it will be approved.
