Dreamliner to help fuel Thai Airways' growth

THAI president Piyasvasti Amranand said every department had agreed on the plan and was seeking ways to reduce costs. Overseas offices worldwide will be the next to follow suit. Under the plan, overtime pay will be cut 17 per cent. That could save Bt464 million a year. Last year, the total overtime cost was Bt2 billion. On overall workforce expenditure, the company intends to save Bt1 billion annually.
“The firm will attempt to reduce unnecessary costs and improve our working efficiency,’’ he said, adding that some measures could be implemented in the long term if they prove workable.
Yesterday, THAI welcomed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the first stop in the airliner’s Dream Tour to Southeast Asia. Singapore is its only other destination on the tour.
The 787 will be added to THAI’s fleet in two years. The company will take delivery of four 787-8 Dreamliners, with two more delivered the following year, and two B787-9 aircraft delivered in 2017, bringing the total number of 787s in THAI’s fleet to eight. All will be leased from International Lease Finance Corporation for 12 years.
The 787-8 Dreamliner will carry 210-250 passengers on routes of 14,200-15,200 kilometres, while the 787-9 Dreamliner will carry 250-290 passengers on routes of 14,800-15,750km.
Piyasvasti said the advantage of the 787 was energy saving, with 20 per cent less fuel consumption than comparable aircraft. It will also be 30 per cent cheaper to maintain.
Their addition to the fleet will help reduce the company’s per-flight energy costs a lot, he said. Currently, fuel accounts for up 40 per cent of the total cost of a flight. If it can save 20 per cent, that means the company’s operating costs will go down 8 per cent.

Timeline

At 10.30am yesterday, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner touched down at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The new mid-sized passenger plane demonstrated its long-range capabilities, flying 15 hours and 12,358 kilometres non-stop, from Seattle's Boeing Field in Washington state.
The Dreamliner is making its first visit to Southeast Asia.
An army of local and foreign media flocked to the event, especially photographers, who were keenly waiting for the thrilling moment when they could shoot on board once its door was opened.
The aircraft will be here until tomorrow. On the first day, it will be stationed at Thai Airways International’s hangar at Suvarnabhumi and will be on display for media and invited guests to tour the aircraft interior. Today, it will make a demonstration flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai carrying THAI executives, pilots, and special aviation guests. It will return to Bangkok in the afternoon with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and government officials.
Tomorrow, it will fly to Singapore as the last destination of its tour to join the Singapore Airshow, where it will be on static display.