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Thai Airways was founded on the 29th of March 1960 as a joint venture between Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), which held a 30 per cent share of the new company valued at two million Thai baht, and Thailand's domestic carrier, Thai Airways Company. The purpose of the joint venture was to create an international wing for the domestic carrier Thai Airways Company. SAS also provided operational, managerial, and marketing expertise, with training assistance aimed at building a fully independent national airline within the shortest possible time. The carrier's first revenue flight was on the 1st May 1960. Flights were operated to nine overseas Asian destinations from Bangkok. The airline's first intercontinental services using Douglas DC-8s started in 1971 to Australia, and then to Europe the following year. A number of the larger Douglas DC-10 wide-body tri-jet was acquired in the later 1970s. Services to North America commenced late 1980.
On the 1st of April 1977, after 17 years of capital participation by SAS, the Thai government bought out the remaining 30 per cent of SAS-owned shares and Thai became an airline wholly owned by the Thai government. Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. The airline has its corporate headquarters in Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Chatuchak District, Bangkok, and primarily operates from Suvarnabhumi Airport. THAI is a founding member of the Star Alliance group. The airline is the second-largest shareholder of the low-cost carrier Nok Air with a 21.80 per cent stake, and it launched a regional carrier under the name Thai Smile in the middle of 2012 using new Airbus A320 aircraft. From its hub at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK/VTBS) and secondary hub at Phuket International Airport (HKT/VTSP) Before COVID Thai flew to 84 destinations in 37 countries, using a fleet of over 80 aircraft, now they have a fleet of 34 aircraft. The airline was once the operator of two of the world's longest non-stop routes between Bangkok and Los Angeles and New York City, but due to high fuel prices, the withdrawal of aircraft, luggage weight limits and rising airfares, the airline abandoned all non-stop US services in 2012 indefinitely. Thai's route network is dominated by flights to Europe, East Asia, and South/Southwest Asia, though the airline serves five cities in Oceania. Thai was the first Asia-Pacific airline to serve London Heathrow Airport.
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| THAI B747-4D7 HS-TGK (CN 24993) File Photo |
In 2006, THAI moved its hub operations to the new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. Coinciding with the arrival of new aircraft, as well as its new hub airport in Bangkok, the airline launched a brand renewal by introducing a new aircraft livery, new aircraft seating, and revamped ground and air services.
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| THAI B777-2D7 HS-TJS (CN 34578) File Photo |
Thai has placed orders for a number of aircraft, including the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, and it has also launched a refurbishment of its Boeing 747 and 777 cabins. Mindful of rising fuel costs, the airline has now phased-out the most inefficient aircraft, including its Airbus A340-500s. The airline took delivery of its first Airbus A380 aircraft in the second half of 2012, intending to eventually deploy the aircraft on its core European routes.
Current fleet
As of March 2021, the mainline Thai Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A350-900 | 12 | — | — | 32 | 289 | 321 | |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 1 | — | — | 30 | 262 | 292 | HS-TJV still in active service. |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 14 | 3 | — | 42 | 306 | 348 | Last 3 scheduled to be delivered in 2021 With Royal First Class configuration. |
| Boeing 787-8 | 6 | — | — | 22 | 234 | 256 | |
| Boeing 787-9 | 2 | — | — | 30 | 268 | 298 | |
| Total | 34 | 3 | |||||
Fly Smooth as Silk
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