BANGKOK, 20 November 2024: Thai Airways has announced plans to upgrade from A320s to wide-bodied aircraft on some domestic routes to meet an uptick in peak season passenger traffic in December.
Information will remain sketchy until the airline’s communications department issues an official statement on the aircraft upgrade and peak season flight increases. But the gist is that A320s will be replaced by Boeing 777s, Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and Airbus A330s on some domestic routes in December, particularly during the Christmas to New Year travel season from 20 to 31 December.
Online timetable information and Nation Online news suggest bigger aircraft will be deployed to serve Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai from early December 2024 to early January 2025. This is in response to increased demand during the peak travel season.
Additionally, Thai Airways has been undergoing a fleet restructuring process, which may involve aircraft changes and route adjustments. However, details about aircraft changes in December 2024 have not been officially announced.
However, the latest up-to-date information on aircraft changes and flight schedules posted on travel-related websites other than TG confirms some of the changes.
The airline will schedule widebody aircraft service on the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi-Krabi route from 1 to 31 December 2024, with a mix of Boeing 777-200ER and A330-300 operating the morning service instead of an A320.
Upgrades in aircraft from A320s to Boeing 777s and Airbus A330 will also increase seat capacity on flights to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Thai Airways will assign Airbus A330s and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners to replace A320s on some of its three daily roundtrip flights between Bangkok and Chiang Rai from 20 to 24 December.
