Thai Airways’ new fleet strategy becomes clearer

As part of its bankruptcy protection reorganisation, Thai Airways is planning to restructure its fleet. It was already known that the airline was planning to sell off two A380s, its ten B747-400s, its six B777-200ERs as well as its six B777-300s. Now, Thai media are reporting that the airline is planning to focus its fleet around the A350-900, the B777-300ER and B787.

This means Thai Airways is also planning to retire its fleet of fifteen A330-300s and four remaining A380s. To replace this capacity, the airline is considering adding nine or ten additional B787s. Thai's fleet-plan is part of the restructuring plan that the airline needs to submit to the court in the coming months. If approved, Thai's fleet will consist of twelve A350-900s, eighteen B787s (including the ten new ones) and fourteen B777-300ERs.

The restructuring plan will also include a new strategy for Thai's subsidiary Thai Smile, which has a fleet of twenty A320s. According to the same news reports Thai is mulling a few options for the airline, including a merger back into Thai mainline, a closure or a sale of the airline.

Photo by Anton Homma.