Thai Airways has just listed its entire Boeing 747 fleet for sale along with several other aircraft. This move may not only mark the end of the Queen of the Skies for Thai Airways, but the end of first class all together.
Thai Airways Offers 747, Other Aircraft For Sale
Thai Airways has updated its aircraft sales page to include a number of new aircraft including 747s, 777s, and A340s.
- 10 Boeing 747-400s
- 6 Boeing 777-200s
- 6 Boeing 777-300s
- 6 Airbus A340-600s
- 3 Airbus A340-500s
- 2 Boeing 737-400s
- 1 Airbus A300-600
(the 737-400s and A300-600 were previously listed)
The aircraft are being sold “as is, where is” and interested parties have until November 13, 2020 to submit bids via email.
Thai has only 10 Boeing 747 aircraft, meaning the entire fleet is for sale. The 747s would not be available for immediate pick-up, but instead during the second quarter of 2021.
While that doesn’t mean that the 747 will stop operating or even necessarily that Thai wants to sell them all (it could be testing the waters), reduced longhaul demand and the continuing closure of the Kingdom of Thailand make it likely that Thai Airways will join a growing list of airlines that have retired the 747 during the pandemic.
The aircraft sale also foreshadows that Thai Airways may emerge from bankruptcy as a much more regional airline.
Will This Mean The End Of First Class On Thai Airways?
Thai Airways offers a lovely service in first class…one of my favorites in the sky. It also has a phenomenal ground product including a superb first class lounge and spa.
But if the 747 fleet goes, Thai will be left with six A380s. It seems very difficult to justify a spacious, dedicated first class lounge for six aircraft (12 seats each). Even more so, it seems difficult to justify a separate onboard menu, wine, and amenities. One Mile At A Time suggests we may see a “super business class” like on the Malaysia Airlines A350 and I sadly fear he is correct.
CONCLUSION
The hits keep on coming for the 747. In an age of reduced demand, the business case for operating a four-engine jet with excess capacity just isn’t there. It appears Thai Airways will be the next airline to retire the 747 from its fleet. The open question remains whether first class will survive.
> Review: Thai Airways 747-400 First Class (+ Business Class)
> Review: Thai Airways A380 First Class
In the late 1990’s, F was less comfortable than the current business class seats. If first class were discontinued for most airlines, the business class would still be better than the old first class, premium economy would be about the same as the old business class, and economy roughly the same.
Old 747’s may have life as a converted freighter. I don’t have hope for an Airbus A340-500 freighter.
Thai used to be a regional airline…and a very good one…going back to the ‘70s and ‘80s. It had benefited greatly from its management relationship with SAS. But it started to go off the rails with evermore ludicrous decisions about its fleet and destinations ( …arguably motivated by management/staff/political preferences rather than market demand/realistic opportunities)
The question now is whether there is room for TG in a limited regional space. The proliferation of LCCs makes that doubtful , in addition to the competition from the major transit players such as EK, QR, SQ.
TG won’t ditch first class entirely, even if they only keep a few planes that have it. There’s one reason:
The Thai Royal Family use TG aircraft for their own personal transportation (often on short notice). When they do, they simply take the first class cabin on a scheduled flight, and bump all paying passengers back to business class.
That’s not going to change until there are much bigger changes in Thailand than aircraft sales. Don’t hold your breath waiting for those changes.
But the protests and the King’s reaction have been quite interesting. Unchartered waters in Thailand…
Sucks. I could use a 747 immediately for whisking people to my 40th birthday party. Can’t wait for 2Q 2021 for delivery.