Thai Airways Considers Taking 787-10s After Initial 787-9 Deliveries

SINGAPORE—Thai Airways may split its new order for Boeing 787s between the -9 and -10 variants, the airline’s CEO Chai Eamsiri tells Aviation Week.

The airline announced the firm order for 45 787s at the Singapore Airshow on Feb. 20, although it was listed by Boeing under an undisclosed customer in December. Aviation Week previously reported that the undisclosed order was linked to Thai Airways.

Eamsiri says the order will include options that would push the total up to 80 aircraft. Thai also “secured a pathway to acquiring the Boeing 777X as part of the arrangement,” the airline adds.

Deliveries are due to occur between 2027 and 2033. Eamsiri says the initial batch of deliveries will be for 787-9s, and later deliveries could be for -10s.

Eamsiri noted that it took Thai Airways 10 months to negotiate and finalize the 787 deal, far shorter than the 3-4 years it would have taken in the past. “Now, we have more agility to make decisions,” Eamsiri says.

Thai has selected GEnx engines for the new order of 787s, a change from the Rolls-Royce engines on its current fleet of eight 787s. Eamsiri stressed that the current fleet will not be reengined.

The carrier considered all aspects of ownership costs when making the decision between engine-makers, Eamsiri says. This includes initial cost, maintenance cost and operating cost. He described this as a “pure business decision.”

Thai has also secured orders for 12 Airbus narrowbody aircraft. Four of these are due in 2025 and eight in 2026, Eamsiri says. The prospect of a further narrowbody order is under discussion internally, he adds.