Bangkok-based Star Alliance carrier Thai Airways (THAI) will grow its fleet and network capacity this year with the addition of several additional widebody aircraft, including more Airbus A350-900s and A330-300s.
To that effect, on 2 January, CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing, announced the signing of a lease agreement for two used widebody A330-300 aircraft with THAI.
The aircraft will be delivered to the carrier in September and October 2024.
THAI used to operate a large A330 fleet pre-pandemic, exceeding 20 aircraft. Currently, however, the airline has just three A330-300s that remain in operation and for the longest time it looked like the A330 was exiting the THAI fleet for good.
THAI operates its dual-class A330s on high-capacity domestic hops and across its regional Asia-Pacific network.
The flag carrier is also on track to take delivery of nine additional A350 aircraft in 2024 and beyond, for a total of 26 A350-900s in its future fleet.
Moreover, a third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is set to deliver to THAI this year.
“We are delighted to be welcoming Thai Airways to our growing Asian Pacific customer base,” stated Jie Chen, CDB Aviation’s chief executive officer. “The increased widebody fleet will strengthen the carrier’s position across its key intra-Asian markets, providing the extra capacity needed to meet the high season and rising travel demand in many regions.”
