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BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Thai Airways International PCL (THAI.TH) late Wednesday said Airbus (F.ABI) will deliver eight airplanes it ordered one year ahead of schedule after its plan to purchase seven used aircraft from UAL Corp.'s (UALAQ) United Airlines had been scrapped.
"The planes were previously scheduled to be delivered to us from 2005 to 2006. Now, we will ask Airbus to deliver all the planes by 2005 and Airbus doesn't have any problem with that," Thai Airways Chairman Thanong Bidaya told reporters.
Thai Airways will save around $10 million in financial costs by bringing forward the delivery of the ordered planes, he added.
In August last year, the Thai Cabinet approved Thai Airways' plan to procure 15 aircraft. Some 44.3 billion baht ($1=THB39.135) has been earmarked for eight Airbus planes comprising five A340-600s and three A340-500s. Another THB14.03 billion had been set aside to buy seven used Boeing Co. (BA) 747-400s from United Airlines.
As reported, the deal was scrapped due to unsettled issues related to pricing and the ages of the aircraft.
Thai Airways is still looking for other alternatives, Thanong said. However, he said it is unlikely that the national carrier would buy used planes as it is hard to find the right specification of used planes that go along with the rest of existing fleet and fit the airline's demands.
Thai Airways is now working on an aircraft procurement plan for the next 10 years, Thanong said, adding that the plan will be concluded by the end of April.
"The planes were previously scheduled to be delivered to us from 2005 to 2006. Now, we will ask Airbus to deliver all the planes by 2005 and Airbus doesn't have any problem with that," Thai Airways Chairman Thanong Bidaya told reporters.
Thai Airways will save around $10 million in financial costs by bringing forward the delivery of the ordered planes, he added.
In August last year, the Thai Cabinet approved Thai Airways' plan to procure 15 aircraft. Some 44.3 billion baht ($1=THB39.135) has been earmarked for eight Airbus planes comprising five A340-600s and three A340-500s. Another THB14.03 billion had been set aside to buy seven used Boeing Co. (BA) 747-400s from United Airlines.
As reported, the deal was scrapped due to unsettled issues related to pricing and the ages of the aircraft.
Thai Airways is still looking for other alternatives, Thanong said. However, he said it is unlikely that the national carrier would buy used planes as it is hard to find the right specification of used planes that go along with the rest of existing fleet and fit the airline's demands.
Thai Airways is now working on an aircraft procurement plan for the next 10 years, Thanong said, adding that the plan will be concluded by the end of April.