Thai Airways orders 45 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft

[reader]

From Pattaya Mail

Thai Airways International has confirmed the purchase of 45 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft under its business rehabilitation plan. The move aligns with its strategy to modernize the fleet and expand capacity. Future orders beyond the 45 aircraft will depend on business needs and return on investment, as the airline aims to make commercially sound decisions.

The aircraft procurement plan has also entered the scope of upcoming Thai–U.S. bilateral discussions, where the purchase is viewed as contributing to increased U.S. exports. However, the airline’s executives stated that it is still too early to assess the full impact of the current U.S.–China trade tensions, which have led China to suspend purchases of aircraft and related equipment from Boeing.

Continues at

https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/thai-airways-orders-45-boeing-787-9-dreamliner-aircraft-eyes-growth-amid-u-s-china-trade-headwinds-498812

[Travelingguy]

A 787 can fly BKK to west coast of USA

[PeterRS]

With aircraft manufacturers having full order books, it will be interesting to know when these 787s are likely to be delivered. As of February 2025 Boeing had unfilled orders of 792 787s. Last year Boeing produced just 51 787 aircraft, but production was interrupted by the long strike. Even assuming production is ramped up to 120 aircraft per year, it will likely take more than 7 years before TG sees any of its order arrive.

[khaolakguy]

7 hours ago, reader said:

the airline aims to make commercially sound decisions.

Don't we all!

[Keithambrose]

3 hours ago, khaolakguy said:

Don't we all!

I wonder how much the brown envelopes  contained. Thai used to have every different long haul aircraft, Boeing and Airbus, and different versions of each model. Made no economic  sense. Last time I was at Suvarnabhumi many A380s and 777s, were gently rusting away in lines on the airfield.  

[reader]

17 minutes ago, Keithambrose said:

Last time I was at Suvarnabhumi many A380s and 777s, were gently rusting away in lines on the airfield.  

Agree that the 380 was unsuited for Thai. But the 777 remains the workhorse of long haul carriers worldwide. The problem wasn’t the plane but the hands it was in.

[PeterRS]

2 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

 Last time I was at Suvarnabhumi many A380s and 777s, were gently rusting away in lines on the airfield.  

I assume for TG the A380 was a glamour aircraft to show the world that the airline was up there with the other top carriers. Yet once it was decided to take its six A380s out of service, TG made another of its dreadful ocommercial decisions. Instead fo flying the aircraft off to desert conditions in the USA or Australia as other carriers had done, TG kept its fleet on the ground at BKK. With the high heat, high humidity, heavy rainfall and zero maintenance, did no one in TG realise they had an asset that was quickly vanishing? This was all so similar to the fate of the ten A340s it purchased to serve routes to New York and LAX which it soon cancelled due to high operating costs and insufficient load factors. All but one of these aircraft still sit languishing at various Thai airports despite TG pulling them from service more than a dozen years ago!

In a thread more than a year ago it was reported that Emirates had purchased a used A380 for US$30 million. Yet this was a leased aircraft it had already been using and maintaining. It was in near perfect condition. TGs A380s cannot now be worth more than the value of some of their spare parts!

Khaosodengllish reported a year ago that all the A380s and 12 777s had been sold. But no information about to whom and at what price? And since the airline had earlier reported that the cost of maintenance to get them into the air would now be prohibitive, how did whoever purchased them - if indeed they were purchased - fly them out of Thailand? Indeed, an article earlier this year in Flightradar headed "Thai Airways Fleet In 2025" states that as of January TG still holds its six A380s on its books!

https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/aviation-news/thai-airways-fleet/

[vinapu]

22 hours ago, PeterRS said:

. TGs A380s cannot now be worth more than the value of some of their spare parts!

 

depending on condition , value of those spare parts may be surprisingly plenty I was told by somebody from industry ( not in Thailand , not even in Asia )

[PeterRS]

47 minutes ago, vinapu said:

depending on condition , value of those spare parts may be surprisingly plenty I was told by somebody from industry ( not in Thailand , not even in Asia )

I think the operative words here are "depending on condition"! Since the aircraft have had no maintenance for five years and have been sitting parked daily in dreadful climatic conditions for aircraft, I'm not sure I would want to fly in an A380 with spare parts from TG's fleet!

[vinapu]

49 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

I think the operative words here are "depending on condition"! Since the aircraft have had no maintenance for five years and have been sitting parked daily in dreadful climatic conditions for aircraft, I'm not sure I would want to fly in an A380 with spare parts from TG's fleet!

agreed but my point was that aircraft spare parts can be surprisingly valuable

[PeterRS]

1 minute ago, vinapu said:

agreed but my point was that aircraft spare parts can be surprisingly valuable

I totally agree. I have seen videos of old aircraft being torn apart in some desert in the USA with a great many parts set aside for recycling. But storing an out-of-service aircraft in near zero humidity is vastly different from storing it anywhere in the high humidity in Thailand. As someone from TG stated, it would cost the airline more to restart a maintenance programme than to get rid of the A380s. Just another example of THAI's appalling record in terms of aircraft purchases and then not getting rid of out-of-service aircraft fast! That it totally failed to get rid of any of its A340 fleet (apart from one sale to the Thai Air Force) is a massive waste of public money. As of last year five carriers were still operating the A340, including Lufthansa and Swiss. Why have TG's fleet been sitting on the ground in Thailand for more than a dozen years without  being sold?