Andrew MacGregor Marshall
20h ·
BREAKING—Two brand new Boeing 777-300ER airliners are on the way from Seattle to Bangkok. Thai Airways ordered the planes despite being bankrupt, because King Vajiralongkorn demanded more luxurious aircraft for his frequent flights between Europe and Thailand.
The planes are named "Alongkorn" which has wing number HS-TTA and "Theparat" with wing number HS-TTB. Both names have royal connotations and in particular "Alongkorn" is part of the name of Vajiralongkorn. A third aircraft, "Simongkhon", HS-TTC, will be delivered soon.
When Vajiralongkorn flies between Europe and Thailand he always demands that Thai Airways arranges a special flight with a Boeing 777, and he never uses HS-TYV, the Airbus A340 that the Royal Thai Air Force uses for VVIP flights, although that plane is used by Dipangkorn.
For the past few years, Vajiralongkorn has always insisted that he and his vast entourage fly on HS-TKY, a six-year-old Boeing 777-3D7ER, but it doesn't have a first class cabin. The new planes arriving today are much more luxurious and have first class facilities.
This is why the palace ordered Thai Airways to lease these new airliners. It will allow Vajiralongkorn to be more comfortable when he flies between Europe and Thailand.
Vajiralongkorn also has a mini-palace at Don Mueang Airport with a F-5 fighter jet in the garden.
This is why he has started demanding that his flights depart from and arrive at Don Mueang, which means Thai Airways has to fly planes in a huge circle around Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang just for the king's convenience.
It's no surprise the airline is bankrupt.
Many thanks to Outsider's Aviation for excellent reporting on this story.
