Thai Airways Intl Seals A340-500/600 Order

Thai Airways International is marking the start of a new era in its long standing relationship with Airbus with an order for three A340-500s and five A340-600s.

The airline first placed an order for the original A300 in 1977 and currently operates a fleet of 21 A300-600s and 12 A330s. Delivery of the newly ordered aircraft are scheduled to begin in 2005.

The A340-500s will bring ‘Smooth as Silk’ levels of service to a completely new network of ultra long-haul services from Bangkok to North America. Whilst the A340-600s will replace the aircraft currently operating to secondary cities in Europe, the Rolls-Royce Trent 500 powered A340-500/600 feet will bring considerable savings due to lower fuel consumption, better operational efficiency and greater cargo capability.

“The A340-500 ultra long-haul aircraft will open up a completely new market for THAI. For the first time, we will be able to offer direct non stop services between Thailand and the USA and our A340-500 will have a unique configuration giving passengers extra space and comfort on their long flights,” said Kanok Abhiradee, president of Thai Airways International.

“This order from THAI again endorses the popularity of the A340 Family, which with unbeatable operating costs and an outstanding operational capability enables the carrier to open up new very long distance routes or service point to point destinations in the most efficient way,” said Noel Forgeared, Airbus president and chief executive officer.

The A340-500 and 600 are full fledged member of the leading A330/A340 Family. The high degree of operational commonality between the A330 and A340 enables pilots to fly either aircraft type with a single licence endorsement.