Thai Airways CEO Advances Fleet Simplification and Expansion Plan
Thai Airways International is continuing to simplify its fleet as part of a long-term strategy led by CEO Chai Eamsiri. Before the pandemic, the airline operated eight different aircraft types. That number has now dropped to six, with plans to reduce it further to four by 2033.
According to ch-aviation data, Thai Airways currently operates 79 aircraft: twenty A320-200s, five A330-300s, twenty-three A350-900s, five Boeing 777-200ERs, seventeen Boeing 777-300ERs, six Boeing 787-8s, and three Boeing 787-9s. The airline retired its A380-800s and Boeing 747-400s during the pandemic. The next phase of fleet simplification will see the 777-200ERs retired by 2029 and the A330-300s phased out by 2033.
By 2033, Thai Airways plans to operate a 150-aircraft fleet consisting of fifteen 777-300ERs, seventeen A350-900s, sixty-six Boeing 787s (including both 787-8 and 787-9 variants), and fifty-two Airbus narrowbodies. The airline is active in the leasing market and holds firm orders for thirty-two A321-200Ns, six 787-10s, and forty-two 787-9s.
The A321neo deliveries are scheduled between November 2025 and August 2028. Four additional 787-9s will arrive in early 2026, with 787-10 deliveries starting mid-2027. Thai Airways is also set to receive fourteen new 777-300ERs over 12 months from May 2027. Accounting for retirements, Eamsiri projects the total fleet will grow by 80 aircraft by the end of 2028.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com