THAI confident revenues up 10%

BANGKOK, September 29 (TNA) - Thai Airways International (THAI), the national flag carrier, says it is confident that its annual revenues will increase by 10 per cent, or to some 220 billion baht annually, after its new fleet of six Airbus A380-800s is delivered to the national flag carrier by late 2013. THAI acting president Chokechai Panyayong told reporters Saturday that the first of six Airbus A380-800s, worth more than seven billion baht, was delivered to THAI recently and is expected to be in operational 20 years. Its maiden service will start October 6, flying from Bangkok to Hong Kong and Singapore. Chokechai revealed that the second superjumbo will have its service launched in mid-December 2012 when it will fly between Bangkok and Frankfurt and Bangkok and Hong Kong along with the first one; while the third one will begin its service next January between Bangkok and Japan's Narita International Airport and the fourth takes the European route between Bangkok and Paris next February. According to the acting THAI president, the remaining two new Airbus planes are scheduled to be delivered late next year. The acting THAI chief said that the national airline now caters about 18 million international passengers yearly, and that all the new six Airbus A380-800s will replace THAI's six ageing Boeing 747s. (TNA)