Star Alliance member Thai Airways officially confirmed at the Singapore Air Show that it had ordered 45 B787-9s from US aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

There has been intense speculation for several weeks now, that the carrier could be behind an order that was anonymously listed in Boeing's backlog. Now it's official, because Thai Airways came out at the trade fair. This will significantly increase the existing Dreamliner fleet.

The European manufacturer Airbus was also likely to have previously vied for the order. However, the US competitor Boeing won the race. Currently, Thai Airways International's long-haul fleet consists of three Airbus A330-300s, 18 Airbus A350-900s, five Boeing 777-200ERs, 17 Boeing 777-300ERs, six Boeing 787-8s and two Boeing 787-9s. A number of aircraft are still pending delivery from previous orders.

The Star Alliance member was hit particularly hard by the corona pandemic because Thailand's entry and quarantine regulations were comparatively strict and tourists were not allowed to enter for a long period of time. Revenues have virtually collapsed to zero, so Thai Airways had to file for creditor protection in 2020. This meant that an extensive restructuring program had to be completed. The fleet was massively reduced and the Airbus A380 aircraft were also sold. The low-cost airline Thai Smile was recently merged into the parent company.

According to an official statement, the order for 45 Boeing 787-9s was finalized in December 2023. Since then, Boeing has kept this anonymously in the backlog. Carriers repeatedly wait for important aviation trade fairs to announce their orders there for reasons of prestige.