Thai Airways seeks board approval for urgent acquisition of up to ten widebody jets

Previous attempts at fleet expansion were unsuccessful. In one instance, negotiations for three Boeing 777-300ERs and six Dreamliners did not result in a deal. Another proposal to lease Airbus A330-200s for over $400 million was rejected by the board because it conflicted with the carrier’s five-year business rehabilitation plan aimed at simplifying its fleet.

Chai Eamsiri told 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." He added: "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."

Currently, Thai Airways operates seven types of aircraft across five families but plans to streamline this structure in coming years as part of its modernization strategy. The airline retired its Airbus A380s and Boeing 747s during the pandemic and will phase out more aging models such as Boeing 777-200ERs and Airbus A330-300s as newer jets arrive.

As of June, Thai Airways had a fleet of 79 aircraft and aims to operate 150 planes by 2033. Its future fleet composition is expected to include Boeing 777-300ERs, multiple variants of Boeing 787s, Airbus A350-900s, and various Airbus narrowbodies.

The outcome of next week’s board meeting will determine whether Thai Airways can proceed with leasing new widebody jets needed for its network plans.