THAI Unveils First Dreamliner

The brand new B787-8 aircraft was rolled out of the Boeing factory in Seattle this week, painted in THAI’s white and purple livery. It is the first of 10 Dreamliners ordered by the national carrier, comprising six standard B787-8s and four stretched B787-9s. The aircraft are being leased to THAI by the US-based International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC).

The B787-8 aircraft will come equipped with 264 seats in a two-cabin layout. The ‘Royal Silk’ business class cabin will feature 24 seats with a 60-inch (152.4cm) pitch that stretch out to form 198cm-long fully flat beds. The seats are arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration and come equipped with Panasonic’s eX3 on-demand in-flight entertainment system and 16-inch personal screens.

In the economy class cabin, the 240 seats are arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration. Each seat has a 32-inch seat pitch and an 11-inch seatback monitor, also using the eX3 IFE system.

The first of THAI’s B787-8s will be delivered in July 2014, with the remaining five being gradually rolled out over the next 12 months.
The arrival of THAI’s first Dreamliner comes almost two years after the airline welcomed its first Airbus A380, and the carrier is also planning to add 15 new Airbus A350s to its fleet in the coming year.

THAI’s passenger fleet now comprises 90 aircraft, the majority of which are twin-aisle models.