Thai Airways’ plans for A380

The first of the six Airbus 380 aircraft ordered by Thailand’s national flag carrier is expected to begin service in August next year, initially serving regional routes before the others are delivered. As reported earlier, two more of the superjumbos are expected by the end of 2012 (see story here), with three more coming in the following year. The new aircraft will feature a total of 507 seats, with all of the 12 first class and 60 business class seats on the upper deck. The 435 economy seats are split between the two levels. But unlike Singapore Airlines, and other A380 operators, there won’t be completely enclosed mini-suites in the top premium cabin. “Our survey with passengers shows that more than half prefer partially closed suites, not something completely closed.” Among the travellers polled is Princess Bajrakitiyabha. “She doesn’t like the Boeing 777 between Bangkok and Paris, she says she prefers the old-fashioned Boeing 747 with no enclosed space,” Piyasvasti said. Thai Airways president Piyasvasti Amranand said that its new Airbus 380s will eventually be serving Europe. “For London-Bangkok and Frankfurt-Bangkok we have two daily flights using Boeing 747s, so obviously these will be the logical destinations for A380.” he said. But the schedule for achieving this goal has not been determined. “We will use them for regional routes first, and when we are ready, we can have Bangkok-London.” Piyasvasti said that the carrier plans to expand its current fleet of 85 aircraft to 105 by 2017, which includes purchases of other Airbus models, such as A330s, which will boast service for regional destinations such as India, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Indonesia, in addition to the new A380s. Boeing aircraft from series B777, B747 and B737 are also on the shop list. Furthermore, states Piyasvasti, all these new aircraft deliveries will offer in-flight connectivity. For more on Thai Airways’ expansion plan, stay tuned for a detailed report this Wednesday. Business Traveller Asia-Pacific will be inspecting the A380 mockup at Airbus’ Toulouse facility this week. Look out for more on the superjumbo at www.businesstraveller.asia. Reggie Ho