Even though Boeing’s commercial aircraft division is largely absent from the 2024 Singapore Air Show, the company still receives some orders. On February 20, Thai Airways International placed a landmark order for Boeing 787s, underscoring the airline’s ambitions for significant growth over the next decade.
787 Dreamliner order
Thai Airways International has announced that it has ordered 45 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with options for 35 more. Therefore, airlines could potentially acquire up to 80 Dreamliners over the next few years.
Brad McMullen, Boeing’s senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing, said of the order:
“Thai Airways’ strategic investment in the 787 Dreamliner builds on our long-standing partnership and represents the airline’s commitment to operating a modern, efficient and flexible fleet. The order will support Thai Airways’ ability to meet demand and promote tourism and trade,” creating future opportunities for the airline. ”
A notable change Thailand is making with these new 787 orders concerns the engines used. Thailand operates just eight 787s, consisting of six 787-8s and two 787-9s. Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines power all of these aircraft. Over the past few years, airlines have continually reported problems with the Trent 1000 engines.
Most recently, extensive cracking in the engine’s fan blades led many airlines to temporarily ground 787 aircraft using these engines. Thailand has been eyeing an order for the new 787 for some time, and completing the order for the aircraft includes talks with engine manufacturers. The airline was initially in talks with Rolls-Royce, as their engines are used in Thailand’s current 787 aircraft.
However, in November 2023, it was reported that Thai Airways was dissatisfied with the pricing of Rolls-Royce’s new Trent 1000 engine. This is the main reason Thailand turned to General Electric (GE) to power its new Dreamliner. General Electric GEnx is another (and more popular) engine option used on the Boeing 787.
Chai Eemsiri, CEO of Thai Airways, said of the GEnx engine:
“To meet our carbon neutrality goal by 2050, 45 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be equipped with GEnx engines, known for their cutting-edge technology and reduced environmental impact. “With the acquisition of the 787 Dreamliner, we will ultimately benefit our customers and help grow our nation’s economy.”
Eemsiri noted that the move to GE engines was a “pure business decision” related to maintenance and operating costs. He also said that the current eight 787s will not be reengineered and will continue to operate using Rolls-Royce engines. Thai Airways will soon receive its first GE-powered 787, a 5.5-year-old used 787-9 leased from AerCap. The aircraft has line number 746 and was previously used by Hainan Airlines and Bamboo Airways.
Possibility of Boeing 787-10 and 777X
Eemsiri said Thailand’s large order could be split between a 787-9 and a stretched 787-10. Deliveries of this new order are expected to begin between 2027 and 2033. The new 787-9 will be delivered first, followed by the 787-10. As stated in the official press release, Thai Airways has the flexibility to change 787 orders between different variants.
The Thai government has not confirmed its reasons for considering a -10 variant. However, we can speculate that this may be due to the high seating density of the aircraft. High-density wide-body aircraft are very popular among airlines in Southeast Asia and Far East Asia.
Thai Airways International, Cathay Pacific, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) all operate high-density Boeing 777-300s (non-ER variants) on short to medium-haul routes. Most of these have since been retired, with only Cathay and ANA maintaining a small number of flights.
Vietnam Airlines, ANA, and EVA Air currently operate the 787-10. His two active -10s in Vietnam mainly serve the domestic sector between Hanoi (HAN) and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN). The aircraft’s high-density configuration makes it ideal for such high-demand routes. ANA and EVA Air operate the 787-10 on medium and long-haul routes.
In the case of Thailand, long-haul routes are mainly operated by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The new 787-9 will further support these routes. Thailand is likely to operate the 787-10 on flights within Asia and on domestic flights within Thailand. The most popular routes from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to cities like Phuket (HKT) and Chiang Mai (CNX) are some of the most popular.
Thai Airways regularly operates wide-body aircraft on these routes, and also flies 747s between Bangkok and Phuket. Thai Airways further detailed that it has secured access to Boeing 777X aircraft as part of this large 787 order. Although the airline has not confirmed any formal orders for the 777X, it has indicated that it is considering deploying the 777X for the time being due to the aircraft’s superior performance.
Overall, this major new order by Thai Airways marks the beginning of a new era for Thai Airways. Although the airline has scaled back significantly after the pandemic, adding up to 80 new Dreamliners means the airline is poised to grow further and further contribute to its carbon neutrality goal by 2050. It shows.