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Thai Airways International warns aircraft shortfall could curb expansion
August 29th 2025
Thai Airways International (THAI) may have to delay its expansion because it has not been able to acquire sufficient jets, Bloomberg Markets reports. Read More » THAI is relying on leased aircraft as a bridge to 2027. From that date, the flag carrier expects to be accepting purchased aircraft. In the meantime, the Star Alliance member is scrambling to lease wide-bodies for its expanded European schedule, THAI CEO, Chai Eamsiri, told Bloomberg. For the next two years, Thai Airways is foreseeing a “significant shortage of the seat capacity” it needs to meet its growth plan, Chai said in an interview. “We will have to halt opening new routes and flights if we fail to lease any new wide-body planes by the first half of 2026,” he said. THAI will add about 17 new narrow-bodies to its fleet by December next year as the airline accelerates efforts to establish Bangkok as a regional hub for connecting flights to European cities. At the same time, earnings from core operations in the second half of the year are forecast to remain “strong” on high passenger demand for Europe, India and Australia flights, Chai said.
