Already boasting a network of 12 cities in Europe, including Paris CDG and Brussels, Thai Airways International will reopen from October this year. its link between Vienna and Bangkokwhich was launched in 1988 but ceased operating in 1993. The carrier will operate the new route with four flights a week using Boeing 777-200ER aircraft equipped with a business class and a standard economy class. Thailand's national carrier expects a load factor of 75% on the new route. Thai Airways sees Vienna as its main gateway to all the countries of Central Europe. The airline has also announced increasing the number of frequencies to Brussels, Moscow and Rome, with a daily flight to each of these cities from this winter, instead of three or four times a week.
The company has also just confirmed the purchase of 28 new aircraft, to eventually offer a fleet that will flirt with the 100% of "new generation aircraft" according to Thai Airways International CEO Areepong Bhoocha-Oom in an interview with Bloomberg. The fleet of new aircraft (less than five years old) is expected to reach 81% in 2018. The most recent model, which entered service last year, is the Airbus A350. The airline is expecting 11 more A350s. Nineteen aircraft will join the Thai Airways fleet and nine will go to its hybrid subsidiary Thai Smile. The latter is gradually taking over the regional destinations of Thai Airways International. Since July, it has been serving Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and Kuala Lumpur instead of Thai Airways. The airline also serves Phnom Penh, Siem Rea, Rangoon and Penang, among others.
Thai Airways International is Asia's largest airline in Europe, a position due of course to the attractiveness of Thailand as a destination, but also to Bangkok's positioning as a hub between Europe and the rest of South-East Asia. Thai Airways international's market share in terms of seat capacity between the European Union and Thailand is 62% of all air capacity in this sector. Thai Airways is far and away in the lead, followed by the Lufthansa group - Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Eurowings - with just under 12% of total seat capacity. Eurowings has also just announced the opening of a new route between Munich and Bangkok, with two frequencies per week, which will be operated in addition to the Cologne-Bangkok route from April 2018. Air France/KLM is the third largest airline group on the Thailand/EU route, with 8.2% of all air capacity. The group could increase its capacity with the integration of JOON, which is expected to take over the Bangkok route.
