Thai Airways delays first A350 XWB services to Melbourne

Thai Airways International, which took delivery of its first Airbus A350 XWB Aug. 30, will delay launching the first scheduled service to Melbourne Airport because of additional inspections and requirements from Australian authorities. Thai Airways president Charamporn Jotikasthira said that the A350 XWB approval process “is not able to be completed in time for Thai to operate the maiden flight by Sept. 16. Previously in 2014, the approval of Thai’s first Boeing 787-8 was much shorter. Thai, therefore, needs to delay operating the A350 XWB to Melbourne until the authorities have completed their approval process.” It is expected the approval will be completed in time for the winter schedule, which begins at the end of October. “In the meantime, Thai will operate the A350 between Bangkok-Chiang Mai and Bangkok-Phuket, which will give passengers in Thailand more opportunities to experience the elegance of the Thai A350,” Jotikasthira said. The carrier continues to operate its double daily Bangkok-Melbourne service.<br/>