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Thai Airways in talks to lease 10 Boeing 787-8s from Avolon to bridge capacity gap

Thai Airways is negotiating a lease for 10 Boeing 787-8s from Avolon — ex–China Southern aircraft — with deliveries beginning in March 2026 and entry into service from July 2026. The package is intended to bridge long‑haul capacity until Thai’s own Boeing deliveries, expected in early 2028.

Discovered 2026-01-20T07:53:02.748096-08:00 | 2026-01-20T07:53:02.748096-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Leases provide immediate widebody capacity: 10 787-8s (ex-China Southern) with deliveries from Mar‑2026 and service entry from Jul‑2026 will preserve long‑haul schedules and revenue while Thai awaits its own Boeing deliveries in early 2028. [source:48d97ac8-3251-44a8-808e-5139f9a62b55]
Shows reliance on the lease market and lessor relationships to manage delivery timing and fleet risk; this complements recent leased narrowbody activity as Thai reconfigures its network and capacity plans. [source:c74eff8e-9e14-4eb0-89cb-010698e8a006]
Rapid Dreamliner insertion has operational implications for crew training, cabin fit and connectivity (Thai is moving to line-fit NSG connectivity on 787s), affecting time-to-revenue and passenger experience. [source:918b1500-844f-4647-beab-f6b0ca3a6487]

Reported By

aviation.direct aerotelegraph.com ch-aviation CAPA Aviation Week