THAI drops A350, ‘places order for 45 Boeing 787 jets’ amid surge in demand
Thai Airways International (THAI) has placed an order for 45 Boeing 787 jets, with the option to potentially boost the size of the deal to around 80 aircraft as it serves rising international travel demand, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing industry sources.
The deal, to be formally unveiled later this month, is already reflected in Boeing's published order backlog as a contract for 45 planes with an undisclosed customer, said the sources.
Reuters said both Boeing and THAI, Thailand’s national flag carrier, declined to comment on the deal.
The sources added that the aircraft would be powered by engines from GE Aerospace, which currently dominates the market for 787 engines in competition with Britain's Rolls-Royce.
The deal opens a new chapter for THAI, which is a longstanding customer of Rolls-Royce and it is also a win for GE as the airline currently flies Rolls' engines on its existing 787s, said the sources.
Industry sources that THAI's decision to reject the A350 in favour of the 787 was partly influenced by disagreements over engine maintenance pricing with Rolls-Royce.
According to https://pilotpassion.com/, Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a large passenger airplane with capacity from 248-336 passengers. It has three models:
- 787-8: capacity 248 passengers, range 13,530km, price US$248.3 to $260 million
- 787-9: capacity 296 passengers, range 14,010km, price $292.5 to $305 million
- 787-10: capacity 336 passengers, range 11,730km, price $338.4 to $350 million
If THAI were to purchase 45 aircraft of the cheapest model, it would cost around $10.755 billion or 385 billion baht. However, buying in bulk usually comes with a 40-60% discount from the manufacturers.
