Thai Airways International is to lease two Airbus A330-300s from Irish lessor CDB Aviation.
The A330s will enter the fleet in September and October this year, says the lessor, a wholly-owned unit of CDB Leasing.
The aircraft will likely be deployed on intra-Asian routes in time for the peak travel period and “rising travel demand in many regions”, says CDB Aviation chief Jie Chen.
He also notes “heightened demand” from airlines looking to lease aircraft, driven by a need to meet rising passenger volumes.
Thai was a prolific A330 operator, with more than 20 examples in its fleet. A pandemic-led restructuring saw the fleet drastically cut down, and Thai now operates just three A330-300s.
The two leased jets are the latest in a series of second-hand aircraft to be added to Thai’s fleet. The Star Alliance carrier recently inducted an A350, which it deployed on flights to Mainland China.
It is also on track to take delivery of leased A321neos in 2025, which will replace its existing narrowbody fleet of A320ceos.
According to Cirium fleets data, Thai has an in-service fleet of 61 jets.
