THAI Postpones A350 XWB Debut on Bangkok-Melbourne

13th Oct 2016

Thai Airways International (THAI) passengers who were hoping to catch a ride of the airliner’s new Airbus A350 XWB jets on the Bangkok-Melbourne route will have to be a bit more patient it seems. Namely, the Thai flag carrier has had to put the launch of its new A350s on hold and with it the debut on this route.

THAI has ordered a total of 12 of these planes from Airbus assembly plant in Toulouse, France.

Australians "Unfamiliar" with this Type of Aircraft

The reason behind this is the reluctance of the Australian civil aviation authorities to approve the carrier’s application to operate the aircraft to Australia. Apparently, the authorities in Australia are “unfamiliar” with this type of plane and are not sure of its airworthiness.

Meanwhile, the 60-day period during which Australians need to consider THAI’s application, has passed.

THAI has already made plans to start using the first A350 XWB on the Bangkok-Melbourne route from 16^th September.

The carrier has already received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration in September and November, 2014.

Commenting on the Australian official’s decision (or lack thereof), one THAI exec, who did not want to be named, said:

We are at a loss and absolutely have no idea why it is taking so long for them [Australian officials] to consider our application.

In the meantime, the national carrier will continue to use Boeing 777-ERs to Melbourne.

THAI Switches to "Plan B" for the Aircraft

However, THAI has had a “plan B” for the aircraft and will instead debut the A350 XWB on its European routes, instead of Australia. Permission was already asked for from European civil aviation authorities and their approval is anticipated soon.

Once the permission is granted, THAI will start operating the aircraft on routes from Bangkok to London, Paris and Frankfurt starting from 28^th October this year.

Before the European routes are launched, THAI will use the first two A350 XWBs on “run-in” flights to popular domestic routes from the Bangkok to Phuket, Chiang Mai and regionally to Singapore.

Airbus already has orders for 810 A350 XWBs from 43 carriers (as of September, 2016). To this date, the aircraft manufacturer has delivered 42 of these aircraft to eight airlines.

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