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THAI Receives First A350 XWB and Schedules it for Bangkok-Melbourne Flights
31st Aug 2016
Thai Airways International (THAI) already has plans as to what it will do with the Airbus A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body) once the first of the 12 planes of this type gets delivered in September. The Thai-based carrier has decided to replace the Boeing 777-200 with the Airbus A350 XWB on the Melbourne-Bangkok route starting from 16th September.
At the moment, the route will remain a daily service, but it is set to double in frequency once THAI receives its second A350 XWB in September.
Apart from Melbourne, THAI also plans to use A350 XWB for flights between Sydney and Melbourne and is only waiting for the other A350 XWBs to be delivered by the end of 2018.
Thai Airways International lost US$700 million (more than 24 billion baht) in 2014, said THAI Chief Executive Officer Charamporn Jotikasthira. The losses were largely due to below average passenger loads, unprofitable routes and bad choice of aircraft.
A350 XWB is an Important Part of THAI’s Turnaround Strategy
In 2015, THAI embarked on a wide-scale turnaround programme, with the acquisition of 12 A350 XWBs being an important part of it. That year (2015), Mr Jotikasthira said as he was boarding the flight from Toulouse, France back to Bangkok, THAI “stopped bleeding”.
Once he became CEO of the company in 2014, Jotikasthira started cutting off unprofitable routes, selling off aircraft and introduced an early retirement program, all as a part of the new turnaround scheme.
In order to bring passengers back, THAI introduced several new routes, including a direct flight from Phuket to Frankfurt, brought back services to Moscow and Teheran and upgraded its First Class and Business Class services.
"We Want to Reposition Bangkok as the Major Hub for SE Asia", Says Jotikasthira
Speaking at a media conference at the Airbus Delivery Centre in Toulouse, Jotikasthira revealed THAI’s ambitions to reposition Thai capital as the major hub for Southeast Asia and said that things look good now for the company, after winning the award for the Most Improved Airline at this year’s Skytrax World Aircraft Awards.
Airbus A350 XWB has been in service since January, 2015 and in THAI’s 3-3-3 configuration in Economy Class offers 46 cm wide seats, more comfort and more oxygen in the cabin thanks to higher cabin pressure (around 2000 feet lower than the standard 8000 feet). In addition, THAI passengers will also be able to enjoy an 11-inch video screen and take advantage of the biggest overhead bins on any aircraft type, all the while flying in the quietest passenger aircraft made to this day.
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