6 Thai airlines eye fleet expansion as aviation industry bounces back

Several Thailand-based airlines are planning to expand their fleets in the future thanks to the fast recovery of the global aviation industry, which the Covid-19 pandemic had crippled.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s prediction, global air travellers should rise more than two-fold by 2043, or grow by 3.8% per year. Of the projected 4.15 billion air travellers, IATA expects two-thirds or 2.75 billion people to travel to Asia-Pacific, accounting for 5.3% annual growth.

The Nation explores six airlines’ expansion plans in the near and far future to see how they plan to cope with the industry trends.

Thai Airways International (THAI)

The national carrier is now operating a fleet of 77 airplanes, which will be increased to 90 next year, said Korakot Chatasingha, THAI’s chief commercial officer.

In the long term, the airline plans to increase its fleet to 143 in the next 10 years, 90 of which will be wide-body aircraft to accommodate a large number of passengers for long-haul routes such as Europe, he said, adding that the remaining narrow-body planes will serve destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.

THAI is currently operating 807 flights per week to 61 destinations and is planning to add one daily flight to Brussels from December 1.

Bangkok Airways

Boutique airline Bangkok Airways plans to procure two Airbus A319s this year and retire an A320 aircraft, bringing its fleet tally to 25 aircraft, said company president Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth. 

He added that the airline aims to have a fleet of 30 aircraft in the next five years, with at least 20 being new airplanes.

Bangkok Airways will continue focusing on its flagship Bangkok-Samui route to better serve the demand of domestic and foreign tourists, he said. 

Thai AirAsia

Low-cost airline Thai AirAsia expects to have a fleet of 60 airplanes by yearend, roughly the same as its pre-Covid fleet of 63, airline CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya said.

In the next five years, Thai AirAsia will procure 25-30 new airplanes, though this will include some rented aircraft, which will be returned after their rental contracts are completed, he said.

The airline also plans to acquired three more Airbus A321neo aircraft, increasing its fleet from two to five before yearend. The 236-seater aircraft are expected to help cope with a surge in passengers during the high season. Thai AirAsia expects to serve some 22 million people this year, compared to 22.15 million in 2019.

Thai AirAsia X

Thai AirAsia X CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said the airline plans to expand its fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft from eight to 11 before the end of the year, bringing the tally closer to the fleet of 12 aircraft it operated in 2019.

The low-cost airline will also restore its six direct flights per week from Bangkok to Sydney from December 1.

Thai AirAsia X expects to serve 2 million passengers this year, up from 1.3 million people last year, but still less than the 2019 tally of 2.6 million people.

“We plan to add more destinations in the next five years and procure three to five new planes per year until our fleet rises to 30 and can serve up to 10 million passengers per year,” he said.

Thai Lion Air

Thai Lion Air is on course to rebuild its fleet to 35 aircraft like it had before the Covid-19 pandemic brought the airline industry to its feet, CEO Aswin Yangkirativorn said.

He said the current fleet of 20 will be increased to 25 before the end of this year, and another five will be added next year, pushing the total to 30.

“We prioritise restoring flights and services at Don Mueang International Airport first,” he said. “We have to suspend our plan to move our main base to U-Tapao Airport in Rayong due to several factors, and will evaluate this option again after studying the 2025 market trend and progressing with the airport expansion project.”

 

Thai VietJet Air

The low-cost airline will rent two Airbus A320 this year, bringing its fleet up to 20 airplanes to cover short-haul routes.

Airline CEO Woranate Laprabang said he expects up to 8 million passengers this year, up 10% from last year.

Next year, the airline plans to procure nine to 12 aircraft from Boeing to use in Asia, especially flights to untapped Chinese cities, he said.

“We are still on track for our long-term fleet expansion plan, which targets having 50 Boeing airplanes by 2028 and serving more long-distance routes including Japan and India,” he said.