Thomson Airways, a UK based charter airline company, will be the first leisure carrier to operate a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The airline is planning to induct the initial aircraft to its flight schedule from May 1, 2013. The aircraft should be delivered to the airline by the first quarter of 2013, and it is intended to offer better travel options to the airline’s passengers.
Thomson proposes to redesign the aircraft to carry around 291 passengers, with a Premium Club cabin seating 47 passengers, and the Economy Club cabin seating 244 passengers. The airline intends to acquire eight of the 13 Dreamliners, ordered by TUI Travel, the parent travel company. The first four are likely to arrive in 2013, an additional three in 2014, and the last in 2015.
The company is inviting its guests to name its first Dreamliner through a contest on Twitter, using the hash tag, #nameourplane.
Another UK based airline, British Airways, will be acquiring its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, to be delivered in May 2013, with three aircraft set to arrive that year. The airline is also acquiring A380 aircraft, the first of which is likely to join the fleet in the second half of 2013.
The chief executive officer of the airline’s parent company, Willie Walsh, said, ‘We are in discussions with Airbus about deliveries. The A380 deliveries will be pushed back and it’s likely we will continue to take delivery of the A380s in 2013 but it will be probably towards the third quarter of the year before we take delivery of those aircraft.
The 787s remain broadly on target in terms of delivery – there’s been a little bit of slippage but nothing of any great significance.
We remain broadly on target to take delivery of the A380s and 787s.’
