Thai Airways To Upgrade Airbus A350s

Thai Airways has confirmed an agreement with Airbus to begin upgrading its A350 fleet in the coming years.

The agreement between the pair involves the state-of-the-art retrofitting process to significantly enhance the cabin product provided to customers of the Thailand-based carrier in future decades.

The modernisation efforts with Thai Airways are expected to commence in 2028, with the fleet’s planned renewal occurring in phases.

Thai Airways confirms the need for this work to be conducted in phases to limit the impact on the airline’s day-to-day operations, considering the refurbishments will sometimes require A350 jets to be pulled from service.

The newest agreement will see a modernised Royal Silk business class with Premium Economy and Economy Class adjustments.

Therefore, passengers should expect to enjoy state-of-the-art cabins, as Thai Airways firmly looks towards the future and has a cabin product that can compete with other established neighbouring efforts.

Moreover, Airbus’ ability to support Thai Airways in such a significant investment in its future is a landmark moment for the pair, and Airbus is happy to play a fundamental role in it.

For Airbus, it also signifies the opportunity to be a solution to other airlines moving forward. These airlines will begin requiring cabin refreshes for their A350s as they begin shockingly reaching the mid-life stage of their operational life.

A New Era For Thai Airways

The cabin refurbishment plan also aligns with the airline’s intent to continue growing its fleet and business to better position itself for the long term.

Away from a reliance on the A350, Thai Airways says that its fleet will grow to almost 150 aircraft over the next ten years as it places greater reliance on adding widebody aircraft, among other types.

The Thailand-based airline confirmed that it would purchase additional Boeing 787 jets in 2024 after a long search for a new widebody aircraft to fuel expansion efforts.

That order included 45 units, and the 787-9 was selected. By implementing more Boeing 787s, Thai Airways targets fuel reduction and thus emissions by up to 25%.

While the 787s will be used across the long-haul network, Thai Airways knows that the hefty fuel efficiency paired with the higher capacity means the plane could also be helpful in markets such as Asia.

The fleet’s growth follows a vital period when restructuring was the priority. Now, the refurbishment efforts on the A350 will also show the general public the airline’s true long-term intent.