There is positive news for Thai Airways passengers today as the airline is about to take delivery of three new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft which were ordered several years ago.
The first two planes have already been delivered with the third one coming in the near future, all of which will be fitted with a new First Class that’s likely going to be a game-changer for future THAI travel.
A local Thai aviation page on Facebook called Outsiders Aviation has also published the latest well-funded rumors which involve the type of seats installed on these B777-300’s that were ordered well before the pandemic and the filing for reorganization at the Bangkok bankruptcy court.
According to this information, the following products are to be installed on the new planes:
On board the three new Boeing 777-300ER that are about to be delivered. All three will feature 303 seats in total.
Royal First Class (Collins Aerospace : Elite) 8 seats
Royal Silk Class (STELIA Aerospace : SOLSTYS®III) 40 seats.
Economy Class (Safran and Zodiac Aerospace) 255 seats.
You can find some of these cabin details on their Facebook post:
The First Class product designed by Collins Aerospace looks absolutely fantastic and I just wish this will come true.
Business Class looks okay, nothing spectacular in my opinion as it’s just a run-of-the-mill business cabin. Economy is Economy so there’s really not much to talk about. the only difference that makes for a lot of comfort (or lack thereof) is usually the thickness of the upholstery. We’ll only be able to test this once the seats have been deployed.
For example, the new ANA Business and First Class seats look beautiful and are well finished but the upholstery/cushioning is way too thin. It’s really uncomfortable after a while.
There are some rumors that the new aircraft were ordered on the behest of the Thai King who is a certified pilot himself and likes to use B777 aircraft to fly to Europe. With all other B777’s not featuring a First Class cabin some online commentators allege that the palace pushed THAI to procure these planes and fit them accordingly.
⚠️ BREAKING—Two brand new Boeing 777-300ER airliners are on the way from Seattle to Bangkok. Thai Airways ordered the planes despite being bankrupt, because King Vajiralongkorn demanded more luxurious aircraft for his frequent flights between Europe and Thailand 1/6 pic.twitter.com/BtnSuqfmMC
— Andrew MacGregor Marshall (@zenjournalist) April 6, 2022
While definitely not impossible, I wouldn’t give too much credibility to these rumors surrounding royal influence on the orders. Andrew McGregor is a respected journalist in some circles and a former Reuters reporter but he has always been highly critical of the monarchy in the Kingdom and was subsequently barred from entering the country in 2011. His criticism might be justified in many ways but it has since become a personal vendetta rather than objective journalism.
Bottom line is that Thai Airways has gotten rid of all the aircraft that previously had a First Class cabin, namely the Airbus A380, Airbus A340 and Boeing 747. That’s a lot of capacity!
The carrier needs new aircraft, either way, no matter their current financial situation. The fleet has lost a large number of long-haul aircraft and to be a carrier of national and international prestige they should at least operate some aircraft with First Class service, especially on high yield routes which for THAI are probably London, Paris, and Zurich (or Munich as the Kind indeed likes to fly there as he spends a lot of time in Bavaria).
Conclusion
Two of the three new Boeing 777-300ER have already arrived in Thailand and will undergo the required checks and fittings before being integrated into the current Thai Airways fleet.
THAI’s choice of ordering Boeing 777-300ER makes actually a lot more sense than many of their previous purchases. Thai Airways has pretty much ordered every single major aircraft ever flown and it’s an open secret that there is a lot of corruption involved in these transactions.
With this newest delivery however once has to remember that the decision dates back many years at which point nobody was able to foresee either the pandemic, the grounding and the filing for reorganization.
