Thai Airways International orders Eight Airbus'

Thai Airways International is marking the start of a new era in its long-standing relationship with Airbus with an order for three A340-500s and five A340-600s. Delivery of the newly ordered aircraft are scheduled to begin in 2005.

The A340-500s will bring 'Smooth as Silk' levels of service to a completely new network of ultra long-haul services from Bangkok to North America, whilst the A340-600s will replace the aircraft currently operated to secondary cities in Europe. The Rolls-Royce Trent 500 powered A340-500/-600 fleet will bring considerable savings due to lower fuel consumption, better operational efficiency and greater cargo capability.

"The A340-500 ultra long haul aircraft will open up a completely new market for THAI. For the first time, we will be able to offer direct non-stop services between Thailand and the USA and our A340-500 will have a unique configuration giving passengers extra space and comfort on their long flights" said Kanok Abhiradee, President of Thai Airways International.

"This order from THAI again endorses the popularity of the A340 Family, which, with unbeatable operating costs and an outstanding operational capability, enables carriers to open up new very long distance routes or serve point to point destinations in the most efficient way." said Noël Forgeard, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer.

The A340-500 and -600 are full-fledged members of the A330/A340 Family. The high degree of operational commonality between the A330 and A340 enables pilots to fly either aircraft type with a single licence endorsement.