Summary
- Thai Airways retired its Boeing 747-400 fleet after operating the iconic Queen of the Sky for years.
- The airline phased out most 747-400s between 2012-2023, with some already being scrapped.
- In 2020, THAI began its restructuring process and began selling off non-core assets, including unused aircraft.
Thai Airways International, trading as THAI, has officially retired the Boeing 747-400 aircraft type from its fleet after not having operated the type since the pandemic. The ceremony happened at the airline’s hangar at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).
Bidding adieu
In a short statement that the airline shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, THAI invited its community to share their cherished memories with the Boeing 747, “the iconic Queen of the Sky, as Thai Airways bids adieu.” The airline shared a picture of a Boeing 747-400 standing in the hangar without its engines.
According to ch-aviation data, Thai Airways had operated 18 Boeing 747-400 aircraft, as well as two Boeing 747-400 Boeing converted freighters (BCF). Other 747 types in the airline’s fleet included the 747-300 and 747-200. Nevertheless, the airline retired the large majority of its 747-400s in two waves: between March 2012 and December 2013 and between June 2021 and September 2023, with six and ten aircraft of the type being phased out of the carrier’s fleet, respectively.
Photo: Avigator Fortuner | Shutterstock
Two other Boeing 747-400s, registered as HS-TGT and HS-TGR, were retired in July 2006 and April 2015, respectively. Its first-ever Boeing 747-400, registered as HS-TGH, was delivered to the airline on February 21, 1990. THAI converted it to a freighter in May 2012, phasing it out in February 2021. The aircraft, now registered as YR-FSA, is now flying with Romania-based Rom Cargo Airlines.
The fate of THAI’s 747-400s
Ch-aviation data showed that THAI’s Boeing 747-400 aircraft suffered different fates. For example, HS-TGY, which was retired in September 2023, is now a coffee shop at U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport (UTP), Thailand.
Photo: Bjoern Wylezich | Shutterstock
Meanwhile, HS-TGA, HS-TGM, HS-TGK, and HS-TGN were scrapped either at BKK or Mojave Air & Space Port (MHV). Another THAI Boeing 747-400, registered as HS-TGL, is also stored at MHV, while the other aircraft are either stored at BKK or UTP. The only exceptions are the aforementioned HS-TGH and HS-TGJ, which are now being used as freighters following their conversions. The latter is now registered as ER-BAG, flying for Aerotranscargo, a Moldovian airline, with planespotters.net data showing that Rom Cargo Airlines is due to take delivery of the 747-400BCF.
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Selling off assets
In September 2020, a Thai court allowed the airline to begin restructuring its business in order to solve its debts, with THAI appointing a planner shortly after. In June 2021, the Central Bankruptcy Court of Thailand approved the airline’s restructuring plan, and the carrier began selling off assets to improve its liquidity. The rehabilitation plan was amended in October 2022.
Photo: KITTIKUN YOKSAP | Shutterstock
In its latest update to the Stock Exchange of Thailand in March, the airline said that it had repaid THB4.2 billion ($113.3 million) without defaulting on any clauses under the rehabilitation plan. Furthermore, it sold at least three unidentified aircraft, having delivered them to the buyers.
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