THAI bids adieu to jumbo jets with the sale of its entire ageing fleet

The disposal of the aircraft, once known as “Queen of the Skies", was attributed to their ageing and in line with the airline's route strategy adjustments.

THAI delivered its last Boeing 747-400 aircraft, registered as HS-TGG “Pathumawadi", to RPS System Co Ltd.

THAI chief executive officer Chai Iamsiri said that the airline currently had 18 other aircraft waiting for decommissioning and up for sale, consisting of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 series, mostly wide-body aircraft capable of long-haul flights.

Thai Airways is currently in accelerated negotiations with potential buyers to finalise the sales, and expects to complete the process soon. This will result in the completion of THAI’s aircraft asset disposal plan.

In 2013, the airline had a total of 100 aircraft. However, as the aviation industry felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and airlines began their recovery efforts, some older aircraft were retired. These aircraft had long service lives, high fuel consumption rates, deteriorating in-flight amenities, increasing maintenance costs each year, and required significant investments for refurbishment that were not deemed cost-effective for returning them to service.

By the end of 2022, Thai Airways had reduced its operational fleet to just 64 aircraft, representing a 36% decrease in fleet size compared to 2013. During the period between 2022 and 2023, Thai Airways addressed fleet limitations by procuring aircraft through operating leases. This allowed the airline to quickly meet the rising demand for travel as the industry continued its recovery.

During the second quarter of 2023, THAI began gradually receiving 21 wide-body aircraft, primarily Airbus A350s equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Additionally, starting from the fourth quarter of 2025, THAI will start receiving narrow-body Airbus A321neo aircraft. These additions will increase the airline's fleet to 79 aircraft in 2024 and 90 aircraft in 2025.