Thai Airways Leasing 10 Widebodies, Adding New Routes To China+Europe

Intro

Thanks to a reader, Alan, again, for sending over this info. In the past few days, I have spoken about Thai Airways getting rid of First Class come 2033, while also elevating their business class product tremendously. With the A321Neo getting flat beds, the 787s and 777s being refurbished, and pajamas on the way to business class, it all seems to be going in the right direction.

Well, there are a few more updates, as Thai is speeding up certain processes.

10 Widebodies

Thai Airways has currently placed a firm order for 45 Dreamliners, with the option to add on 35 more if need be. However, as many of us know in the aviation world, these planes have been delayed until 2027 (presumably, maybe longer).

As it would seem, Thai Airways has confirmed (behind the scenes) that they are negotiating a short-term lease for 10 additional widebodies as they are awaiting these Dreamliners. Currently, these are up in the air about which aircraft they will choose, but I will keep you informed about what comes up.

Something about this vintage 777-200ER cabin never gets old

TG Focused On China For 2026

Interestingly, part of the most recent memo (yesterday) that was sent out stated that Thai Airways is focused on expansion into China for 2026. While the airline currently serves:

• Kunming

• Chengdu

• Guangzhou

• Hong Kong

• Shanghai

• Beijing

Come 2026, Thai will also begin serving Wuhan and Shenzhen. All of the routes into China are operated by widebodies, so one would presume these new routes will follow suit.

New European Routes

Aside from China, it seems that the airline will also be launching a few new routes into Europe from Bangkok. As of now, the airline currently serves the following destinations in Europe:

• London

• Paris

• Brussels

• Frankfurt

• Munich

• Zurich

• Milan

• Oslo

• Stockholm

• Copenhagen

• Istanbul (if you consider this Europe, to each their own here, as it's split)

Most of these routes are operated by their 777-300, but some A350s are thrown in as well.

Now, for future routes, I can't really tell which way they are going to go here. The two missing cities that stand out to me here would be Madrid and Amsterdam, and possibly Rome. However, I know many ME carriers have had a lot of success in other parts of the UK, so I am wondering if Thai might take on that approach?

This is pure speculation, but what do you think? I think you can rule out Warsaw (LOT), and Vienna (Austrian), but maybe Lisbon as well?

What I Make Of This All

Thai have been wanting to expand their network in the past few years, but simply haven't been able to, primarily due to aircraft shortages. With short-term leases being negotiated for 10 additional widebodies, not only will this open the two additional routes to China, but we can expect a few more routes to Europe.

But I have to say: this is a really exciting time to be a flyer on Thai Airways. You get to witness this ongoing transformation firsthand. From being an airline that few people sought out, to what is going to become one of the more competitive airlines in East Asia.

And yeah, the expansion in China makes sense. Their loads are high, and there is a huge tourism market in Thailand and the surrounding areas. Considering Thai has an extensive connecting network to the likes of Yangon, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and more, they are trying to make it hard for someone not to choose Thai.

Final Thoughts

What an exciting time to be a Thai Airways flyer. While the new state-of-the-art Dreamliners are currently delayed until 2027, TG is taking the initiative to short-term lease 10 widebodies in hopes of expanding into Wuhan, Shenzhen, and a few more places in Europe. I do have to wonder where they will expand to in Europe, as I wasn't expecting Istanbul last time due to TK, but here we have it.