Thai Smile to merge with Thai Airways by early 1Q24

Thai Airways plots 90 aircraft order, targets widebodies

Thai Airways International (TG, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) is in talks with manufacturers and lessors about a new order for up to 90 aircraft, which would be heavily skewed towards widebody aircraft, Bloomberg has reported citing internal sources.

The new commitment - which is likely to include a mix of firm orders, options, and purchase rights - could comprise around 80 widebody aircraft directly from the manufacturers. The airline is also in talks about a lease of a much smaller number of narrowbodies. While the exact terms of the transaction remain under confidential negotiations, sources said the airline could select around forty B787s from Boeing.

The Thai flag carrier is rapidly recovering from the Covid-19 crisis. With tourism in Thailand rebounding, the airline has posted four consecutive quarterly profits and aims to rebuild its fleet to and above the pre-pandemic level.

During its Covid-related restructuring - which will formally be over in 2024 - Thai Airways shrank its fleet and currently operates three A330-300s, sixteen A350-900s, six B777-200ERs, seventeen B777-300(ER)s,...

Thai Airways details incoming leased aircraft through 2025

Thai Airways International (TG, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) expects to take delivery of 23 leased aircraft by the end of 2025, according to Piyasvasti Amranand, chairman of the airline's debt rehabilitation administrator. Amranand spoke to media in Bangkok late last week after reporting Thai's fourth consecutive quarterly profit and saying that the airline should wrap up its court-supervised restructuring by late 2024.

Existing lease agreements will see Thai Airways take delivery of eleven A350-900s, two A330-300s, one B787-9, and twelve unspecified A321-types, for a total of 26 aircraft. Three A350-900s have already arrived - HS-THQ (msn 266) sourced from Avolon, HS-THR (msn 245) also from Avolon, and HS-THV (msn 187) sourced from AerCap, leaving 23 aircraft undelivered. Thai expects another two A350s to arrive before the end of the year.

The airline says another eight aircraft from the tally will land in Bangkok by mid-2024. Amranand says over the course of next year, six more A350-900s will ferry in. By mid-2024, Thai anticipates receiving half of the 26 leased aircraft, although, beyond...

Thai Airways mulls 90-strong aircraft order - report

Thai Airways International (TG, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) is in talks with the two big aircraft manufacturers about an order for as many as 95 aircraft, according to a Reuters report. Talks, reportedly still in a “very early stage,” concern a potential order for 15 narrowbody aircraft and 80 widebodies.

The majority-state-owned airline, which continues to work its way through a court-supervised restructuring program to tackle THB400 billion baht (USD11.3 billion) worth of accrued debt, had previously said it wanted to sign an order for an additional 30 aircraft by the end of 2023. This latest report triples that number.

Having posted losses for a decade, Thai Airways is now profitable but handicapped by a shortage of aircraft, which it is attempting to address in the short term through leasing arrangements. Thai's fleet currently comprises five former Thai Smile A320-200s, three A330-300s, fourteen A350-900s, six B777-200ERs, seventeen B777-300ERs, six B787-8s, and two B787-9s. The airline also says it has secured twelve A321neo-type aircraft on lease, with deliveries across...

Thailand's Really Cool Airlines eyes A330-300s for launch

The CEO of Really Cool Airlines (LUV) has provided some more detail on his start-up, telling the Latest Finance News outlet that he hopes to secure the air operator's certificate (AOC) in late 2023 or early 2024 and soon after start operations with four A330-300s.

CEO Patee Sarasin wants the AOC and the first aircraft in time to fly into the Singapore Air Show in February 2024. The airline has already obtained its Thailand-issued air operator's licence (AOL), a precursor to the AOC, the application for which is in and, according to Sarasin, underway.

When Sarasin first publicly floated the idea for Really Cool Airlines, he said he was looking at either B787 or A350s to start operations. He later dropped plans for Boeing aircraft in favour of the Airbus offerings. "We're probably going, for now, with Airbus," Sarasin told ch-aviation earlier this year, saying that decision was largely contingent on price.

This week, he says he's settled on A330-300s to launch the airline, although he did not provide details on...