Thai to defer delivery of 14 widebodies

Thai Airways International will postpone delivery of 14 widebody aircraft originally scheduled to enter the fleet between 2016 and 2018.

The 14 aircraft comprise 12 Airbus A350-900s and two Boeing 787-9s, says a company spokeswoman.

“This resulted from decisions put forth by the State Enterprise Policy Committee (SEPO) that advised [Thai] to be cautious of introducing new aircraft to the fleet while the Company is still under the Transformation Plan,” she says.

“Therefore, the Company will avoid additional costs that will be incurred from delivery of new aircraft during 2016-2018, the details of which are pending negotiation.”

The carrier adds that the decision will not influence the decommissioning of ageing aircraft.

Loss-making Thai is undergoing a major restructuring that calls for the cutting of routes, the retirement of old aircraft, staff cuts, and the reduction of debt.

Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer shows that Thai operates six 787-8s, with orders for two 787-9s. The carrier has orders for 12 A350s, and letters of intent for four additional units.

Fleets Analyzer shows that two A350s are in build year 2016, five in 2017, and five in 2018. The two 787-9s are in build year 2017.

The carrier has 72 in-service widebody aircraft with an average age of 9.2 years, comprising 777-200/300/300ERs, 747-400s, 787-8s, A330-300s, and A380s.

Thai is in the process of retiring its 747-400s. It has ten aircraft with an average age of 17.4 years. It is also steadily retiring its older 777-200s, which were delivered in the mid-1990s.

Fleets Analyzer shows that Thai also has 24 widebodies in storage: 10 A330-300s, four A340-500s, six A340-600s, and four 747-400s.