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Thai Airways Refutes Political Ties in Aircraft Purchase Deal

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Thaiger-News-Featired-Image-2025-08-06T103704.png

Photo courtesy of Total Telecom

 

Thai Airways International (THAI) has firmly denied allegations that its ambitious aircraft acquisition plan is linked to US trade deals, asserting that the expansion is dictated by business strategy alone.

 

The airline, which plans to add up to 80 new aircraft to its fleet—45 of which are confirmed orders from Boeing—has faced speculation that the purchase is connected to negotiations with Washington. However, THAI executives have clarified that the decision is rooted in the airline’s recovery efforts, free from political influences.

 

Lavaron Sangsnit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and THAI Chairperson, stated that the strategic plan was established during the company’s financial rehabilitation phase. "The procurement plan was developed independently of any discussions regarding US tariffs," Lavaron emphasised.

 

Chai Eamsiri, THAI’s CEO, bolstered this claim by highlighting the unbiased nature of the decision-making process. "Our choice was driven by sound business principles, with no external pressures from 2023 onwards."

 

The agreement for the 45 Boeing aircraft was finalised at the end of 2023, incorporating fixed pricing. An additional 35 aircraft have been earmarked as options, contingent on the airline's future operational demands.

 

Lavaron further explained that the airline’s resurgence is underpinned by autonomous and professional management, aspects crucial to its ongoing growth plan.

The delivery of the new aircraft is now slated to start in early 2028, slightly earlier than the initial mid-2027 timeline. The carrier intends to utilise these aircraft to expand its international routes and re-establish its reputation as a leading Asian airline.

 

In a report by The Nation, THAI executives dismissed claims that the order was influenced by pressure to accommodate foreign trade partners, labelling the rumours as baseless.

 

Future fleet strategies will be guided by factors such as:

 

  • Aircraft type and configuration
  • Route network compatibility
  • Timing of deliveries
  • Strategic alignment with business objectives

 

Lavaron assured that no additional proposals have been entertained beyond the current Boeing deal. He reiterated THAI’s dedication to making commercially-driven and independent decisions without external interference.

 

As the airline navigates its recovery pathway, the management anticipates strong performance stretching into 2025, underscored by commercial rationale rather than diplomatic considerations.

 

For THAI, the directive is clear: continuous growth anchored in business acumen and free from external constraints, ensuring a stable ascent in the competitive aviation sector. The planned fleet augmentation, translating to billions of Thai Baht, remains a testament to the airline’s determined revival and strategic foresight.

 

image.png  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-08-06

 

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  • The Airbus 350-1000 is a favorite among the airlines that fly the long routes.  The Airbus 321 Neo is a favorite for airlines looking for a single aisle aircarft. Airbus probably has a longer wait lis

  • caligula123
    caligula123

    not sure where you getting your information.While the Air India crash was horrible for sure,that was 1st hull loss of a 787.   just a quick google search       Who has more crashes,

  • sure it is or why would they be buying a bad plane that keeps crashing all around the world, they should have opted for the Airbus, much better and safer, Trump must have blackmailed/threaten them, th

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If they have not slashed their staff numbers, especially those in management positions, then in under 10 years they will again be looking at bankruptcy when they cannot create enough profits to pay the leases on the planes. Same wash and repeat as always here. 

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32 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

has firmly denied allegations that its ambitious aircraft acquisition plan is linked to US trade deals

sure it is or why would they be buying a bad plane that keeps crashing all around the world, they should have opted for the Airbus, much better and safer, Trump must have blackmailed/threaten them, that's how he makes deals

  • Popular Post

The Airbus 350-1000 is a favorite among the airlines that fly the long routes.  The Airbus 321 Neo is a favorite for airlines looking for a single aisle aircarft. Airbus probably has a longer wait list but they have proven to be the better manufacturer.  The last time Boeing hit a home run was with the B777-300ER. This is was long time ago.  Most airline execs know the future is Airbus unless the B777-9 is a grand slam. With Boeing's recent history I would not have bet so big on them.

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Whatever their denials, THAI is not 'apolitical' - just look at its board of directors. So it's very possible that the Boeing purchase/promise is political. Hasn't dropped the tariffs though has it? I'm also sceptical about the pledge to buy Grippen fighters from Sweden. It wouldn't suprise me at all if the change suddenly to US fighter planes. Maybe then the tariffs on other things will ease.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai Airways International (THAI) has firmly denied allegations that its ambitious aircraft acquisition plan is linked to US trade deals, asserting that the expansion is dictated by business strategy alone.

So Airbus didn't figure ?

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15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The delivery of the new aircraft is now slated to start in early 2028, slightly earlier than the initial mid-2027 timeline.

Proof reading required!!

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15 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

The Airbus 350-1000 is a favorite among the airlines that fly the long routes.  The Airbus 321 Neo is a favorite for airlines looking for a single aisle aircarft. Airbus probably has a longer wait list but they have proven to be the better manufacturer.  The last time Boeing hit a home run was with the B777-300ER. This is was long time ago.  Most airline execs know the future is Airbus unless the B777-9 is a grand slam. With Boeing's recent history I would not have bet so big on them.

 

not sure where you getting your information.While the Air India crash was horrible for sure,that was 1st hull loss of a 787.   just a quick google search

 

 
 
Who has more crashes, Boeing or Airbus?
AI Overview
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSBwz89gfSFMiXmOy3cTEh6ua37Ip54gBhFMmNcz53CNA&s
Boeing has more crashes than Airbus. However, when considering the number of flights, Airbus actually has a higher crash rate per flight. While Boeing has a larger number of incidents overall, this is partly due to the fact that Boeing has a larger number of aircraft in service and has flown more flights than Airbus, according to Quora. 
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • 251 crashes, 461 million flights, 1.84 million flights per crash, according to Quora.
  • 35 crashes, 28.3 million flights, 0.81 million flights per crash, according to Quora. 
    Therefore, while Boeing has more crashes in total, Airbus has a higher crash rate per flight. 
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22 minutes ago, worrab said:

Proof reading required!!

Maybe this was a statement of the orange?

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15 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

The Airbus 350-1000 is a favorite among the airlines that fly the long routes.  The Airbus 321 Neo is a favorite for airlines looking for a single aisle aircarft. Airbus probably has a longer wait list but they have proven to be the better manufacturer.  The last time Boeing hit a home run was with the B777-300ER. This is was long time ago.  Most airline execs know the future is Airbus unless the B777-9 is a grand slam. With Boeing's recent history I would not have bet so big on them.

 

Yep. Longer range A321s for the ASEAN region would have been the sensible purchase. A few A350 widebodies for more popular routes.

 

Mind you, when you were 600 billion Baht in debt and after some creative accounting all is rosey in the Thai Airways garden again, you expect these decisions to be based on 'what's in it for me' rather than business acumen.

 

See the Rolls-Royce engine purchases for evidence. Was anyone in Thailand prosecuted for that again? They were in the UK. :whistling:

 

The whole thing is a fiddle.

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15 hours ago, Mavideol said:

sure it is or why would they be buying a bad plane that keeps crashing all around the world, they should have opted for the Airbus, much better and safer, Trump must have blackmailed/threaten them, that's how he makes deals

Ordering planes from Boeing is one way of meeting demands from Trump to “invest” in America, without actually paying much money. Boeing has a huge back log of orders and delays are the norm.

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If it's a Boeing,

I ain't going!

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1 hour ago, Grusa said:

If it's a Boeing,

I ain't going!

I’ve never heard that brilliant saying before. Did you just come up with it? Can I share it on the interwebs for others to use?

2 hours ago, caligula123 said:

 

not sure where you getting your information.While the Air India crash was horrible for sure,that was 1st hull loss of a 787.   just a quick google search

 

 
 
Who has more crashes, Boeing or Airbus?
AI Overview
Boeing has more crashes than Airbus. However, when considering the number of flights, Airbus actually has a higher crash rate per flight. While Boeing has a larger number of incidents overall, this is partly due to the fact that Boeing has a larger number of aircraft in service and has flown more flights than Airbus, according to Quora. 
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • 251 crashes, 461 million flights, 1.84 million flights per crash, according to Quora.
  • 35 crashes, 28.3 million flights, 0.81 million flights per crash, according to Quora. 
    Therefore, while Boeing has more crashes in total, Airbus has a higher crash rate per flight. 
     

Ah, I never mentioned the Air India or the crash.   Both American and United operate B787's but Delta flies zero B787's.  These are the largest air carriers in the US.  Delta is trending towards buying more Airbus.  I wonder why? 

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No mention of maintenance costs in the buying considerations is odd. Having to maintain 2 manufacturers planes must be very costly. 2 lots of inventory and specialized tools along with more training must be a major headache. The only upside I see is they will get more leverage when negotiating the purchase price. Unfortunately people who deal with purchasing large items are often clueless about whole life costs. Saving a few million on a purchase often ends up costing dearly in the long run. 

I have started to choose who I fly with by taking into account the make of the plane. Price and duration are still the main consideration but increasingly I want to avoid anything American due to the antics of the orange, wannabe, dictator and Boeing's worrying reputation. 

Well, after having secured all those under-the-table payments by RR to Thai Airways there is plenty of cash to be splurged on while I am still waiting in vain for years for a refund. 

Gave up on the refund and never flew nor will fly Thai Airways ever again. All others can wonder, who they managed to offload THB 300+ billion (with a B not an M) losses from their books, buy new aircraft left, right and centre, create a mess in their fleet planning while dozens of TG planes are parked all over the Kingdom at airports and amusement zones from Bangkok all the way to Nong Khai. 

3 hours ago, Grusa said:

If it's a Boeing,

I ain't going!

x2 ... am with u

Who is going to fill these new Aircraft ?? most have jumped ship and are going to Viet and Japan ?

20 hours ago, Mavideol said:

sure it is or why would they be buying a bad plane that keeps crashing all around the world, they should have opted for the Airbus, much better and safer, Trump must have blackmailed/threaten them, that's how he makes deals

 

Since few people want Boeing planes anymore, the waiting list for Airbus can reach 13 years for some models.

 

4 hours ago, Grusa said:

If it's a Boeing,

I ain't going!

 

My wife's usual phrase when I go to buy plane tickets.


And I must admit I was feeling nervous myself on my recent flight on a RyanAir Boeing 737-800 MAX.

 

Thai Airways will do just fine going forward on one condition

Do not allow Government Ministers & their hangers on from demanding free travel & that includes the Foreign Ofice who all staff thought they could "catch a freebie" whenever they wanted.

 

Surely nobody believes a word of it...

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It's extraordinary that a listed company with public shareholders can be used as a political tool and forced to commit to buying certain aircraft to help out the government.  It has gone bust once due to government meddling, incompetence and corruption and will probably go bust again for the same reasons. 

 

That Lavaron Sangsnit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, the political functionary who, as director general of the Revenue Department, disastrously meddled with tax rules on foreign remittances in 2023 that now have to be fixed, is THAI Chairperson speaks volumes for the airline's independence and ability to compete in a cut throat global market place. 

Isnt the Thai government the majority shareholder about 48%

4 hours ago, Espanol said:

 

Since few people want Boeing planes anymore, the waiting list for Airbus can reach 13 years for some models.

 

agree and that's why they have special deals on Boeing buy 1 get 1 free....555

7 hours ago, MadAtMatrix said:

I’ve never heard that brilliant saying before. Did you just come up with it? Can I share it on the interwebs for others to use?

Sorry, I can't claim it as my own intellectual property! I saw/head it somewhere else, about 787max.

Whenever a Thai government (type) agency as above talks to adamantly and strenuously to flatly deny what likely is the truth, history suggests what they're denying is in fact the truth.

 

Ya, they just "happened" to place their entire aircraft acquisition plan in the hands of a U.S. aviation contractor that has had a pretty checkered record of performance in recent years, and right as the U.S. government under Trump is threatening Thailand with excessive tariffs.

 

Hmmm....

 

5 hours ago, Mavideol said:

x2 ... am with u

 

I'm fine to fly on the 777-300 ERs.... But Boeing's more recent offerings after that, not so sure.....

 

On 8/6/2025 at 6:06 PM, ronnie50 said:

Whatever their denials, THAI is not 'apolitical' - just look at its board of directors. So it's very possible that the Boeing purchase/promise is political. Hasn't dropped the tariffs though has it? I'm also sceptical about the pledge to buy Grippen fighters from Sweden. It wouldn't suprise me at all if the change suddenly to US fighter planes. Maybe then the tariffs on other things will ease.

They can say it is not political all night long, the average Joe would not give a dam.

On 8/6/2025 at 5:12 PM, TroubleandGrumpy said:

If they have not slashed their staff numbers, especially those in management positions, then in under 10 years they will again be looking at bankruptcy when they cannot create enough profits to pay the leases on the planes. Same wash and repeat as always here. 

 

- Massively reduce management positions (as mentioned above)

- Restructure so that the ratio of managers to reporting staff is the same of accepted international models /realities 

- Massively reduce cabin crew (currently massively overblown) 

- Masssively reduce administration and ground crew positions (currently massively overblown)

- Change recruitment processes so that there is a much closer fit of new recruits / internal movements to the documented capabilities and experience needed for all jobs

- Make policies whch strongly limit appointments which involve nepotism

- Massively reduce cabin crew benefits

- Retrain cabin crew to be much more aware of /practice more politeness and ensure strong customer satisfaction all flights and all passengers

- Step by step reduce cabin crew salaries and benefits to gain alignment to other Thai industries / occupations

- Completely get out of other activities (cake shops etc) and focus totally on operating an airline.

- and more ...

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