Thai Airways International (TG, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) is mulling exercising its existing option to buy more B787-9s from Boeing as part of the tariff negotiations between authorities in Thailand and the United States, according to chief executive Chai Eamsiri.
Recently, Thailand submitted a new trade proposal to the Trump administration in a bid to avoid steep 36% tariff hikes on its exports. The carrier is offering to purchase more Boeing aircraft, Thai finance minister Pichai Chunhavajira said in an interview with Bloomberg.
In February 2024, Thai Airways ordered thirty-nine B787-9s and six B787-10s, with options for a further 35.
However, the airline has no plan to resume direct flights to the United States, despite the Federal Aviation Administration recently upgrading Thailand’s air safety rating to Category 1 earlier this year.
Eamsiri said during the Reuters NEXT Asia summit that Thai’s current fleet could not operate such long-distance flights efficiently, and the US market posed a “big risk” in the current context of tariff negotiations. Thai Airways dropped its service to the North American nation in 2015, after Thailand was downgraded to Category 2. In addition, the company recently exited its business rehabilitation process.
ch-aviation data shows Thai Airways fleet comprises twenty A320-200s, five A330-300s, twenty-three A350-900s, five B777-200ERs, seventeen B777-300ERs, six B787-8s, and three B787-9s. The carrier is looking to reduce the number of aircraft types it operates, with the aim to retire the B777-200ERs and A330-300s by 2033, ch-aviation reported.
