January 17, 2008
BANGKOK - The board of Thai Airways International has approved plans to add 34 new aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, as part of its drive to modernise its fleet, a spokesman said Thursday.
The airline's board late Wednesday approved plans to lease 14 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and to either lease or buy 20 Airbus A321, with delivery expected over the next 10 yearsm, according to AFP.
Thai Airways' plans will not be affected by Boeing's announcement that it was again delaying the launch of the Dreamliner, pushing back the first deliveries from late this year to early 2009.
The Dreamliners would be delivered to Thai Airways from 2012 to 2015.
Meanwhile, the airline also made a down payment for 20 of Airbus's midsized A321 aircraft.
The company will have to seek approval from Thailand's new cabinet over whether to lease or buy the planes, the spokeswoman said.
Those planes would be delivered from 2012 to 2017, she added.
The army-backed government had ordered the airline to expand its fleet by leasing rather than buying new aircraft.
The orders are part of Thai Airways' 10-year growth plan, which includes the procurement of 65 aircraft worth 350 billion baht (1.05 billion dollars).
The Boeing aircraft would be used for flights around the region, while the Airbus planes would be used on both domestic and regional flights.
