Thai Airways International was due to lease 8 to 10 long-haul aircraft in response to a shortage in its fleet... and pending the arrival of new aircraft. The company had not anticipated its future needs. Its financial restructuring, from which it has just emerged, has probably not helped it to plan for the future...
The carrier has indeed placed an order for 45 Boeing 787 Dreamliners to renew its long-haul fleet, with an option for a further 35 similar models. But there is a major snag. The carrier is due to retire nearly a dozen older aircraft from its fleet next year. Since then it has been looking to replace them with leased aircraft until 2027, when its new Dreamliners are due to arrive.
Except that the airline's Board of Directors keeps vetoing this temporary solution. Thai Airways has already passed on the possibility of leasing six Boeing 787s and three Boeing 777-300ERs because of opposition from its board. A new proposal to lease eight-year-old Airbus A330-200s has also just been rejected.
Reducing the long-haul network?
Behind this refusal, the Board of Directors considers that these aircraft are not compatible with the company's strategy. The aircraft are too expensive, less fuel-efficient and, above all, have a range deemed insufficient (7 hours flight time) for certain long-haul routes.
The airline's CEO has warned that without additional aircraft, Thai will be forced to cancel the opening of new routes planned for the first half of 2026. It would also have to manage a smaller long-haul fleet by reducing frequencies on certain routes, and even by cancelling several routes in the low season. The opposite of its ambition to strengthen Bangkok's appeal as the hub of north-west ASEAN.
All the more so as the airline will be receiving 17 Airbus A321neo aircraft for its regional routes from next year. Choices will therefore have to be made, and should concern the entire Thai Airways International intercontinental network. It proves, once again, that the Thai airline continues to be handicapped by its status as a state-owned company, with no real autonomy in its strategic decisions.
This forced break is already reflected in the company's winter timetable. Thai Airways International serves 63 destinations from Bangkok with no increase in frequencies or route openings. With the notable exception of Bangkok-Mumbai (Bombay), which will have 14 weekly flights instead of 11 from December 1.
