THAI's old jets hog space at Don Mueang

THAI's old jets hog space at Don Mueang

Most of the retired aeroplanes at Don Mueang airport's boneyard belong to Thai Airways International.
Most of the retired aeroplanes at Don Mueang airport's boneyard belong to Thai Airways International.

Attempts to remove the aircraft boneyard at Don Mueang airport to free up parking space for operational planes have been foiled by Thai Airways International (THAI).

Most of the remaining 21 aeroplanes retired from service and still sitting in the southern wing of Bangkok's century-old airport for dismantlement belong to the flag carrier, industry executives said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

While keeping authorities in the dark as to when it would clear jets that have sat collecting dust for years, THAI has added more retired aeroplanes to the grounds, taking up space left by those already turned into scrap metal and belonging to other owners, the executives said.

THAI has chosen to park wide-body aircraft at the airport while searching for buyers.

The aeroplanes include four ultra-long-range Airbus A340-500s and Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets that remain airworthy.

THAI has not responded to a request from Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) to fly those jets including the A340-500s that were used for non-stop flights between Bangkok and New York to other locations.

"THAI's top management has vowed to clear their retired aeroplanes from Don Mueang, but somehow we have not seen that translated into action," a frustrated airport official told the Bangkok Post yesterday.

The official said there were long-term parking spaces at inactive airports in other parts of the country such as the navy-operated U-tapao airport in Rayong province, where THAI could store jets for sale.

"We don't know why THAI won't seriously look at those optional sites, as they are well aware that we critically need aircraft parking space now that Don Mueang has been used beyond its capacity," the official said.

Moreover, AoT is worried THAI may use Don Mueang to park aged aeroplanes that it recently approved for sale but for which it is still trying to locate buyers.

There are 14 wide-body jets in that group — six Airbus A330-300s, six Airbus A340-600s and two Boeing 747-400s.

While owners of decommissioned aircraft have heeded AoT's latest notice to remove their equipment from the site as soon as they can, THAI's alleged inaction makes it unclear when Don Mueang's boneyard will be gone.

Assuming that all 21 retired planes were removed today, they would create an apron for about 10 aircraft, according to the executives.

A total of 26 of 57 decommissioned aeroplanes left over the years at Don Mueang and considered junk have been turned into scrap metal.

Dismantling the junk is considered a complicated job due to the aircraft sizes and technical issues that include draining out lubricants from parts.

A wide-body aircraft may take up to three months to break down, and there are three qualified companies pursuing the business.

Don Mueang is a busy airport, served by 15 international airlines offering scheduled flights connecting 24 Thai cities and 33 destinations in 14 countries.

More than 70 planes belonging mostly to Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air are parked overnight at Don Mueang, making space a critical issue for those carriers.

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