Thomson Airways to add 49 more Boeings to fleet by 2020 which include 2 787's

UK leisure carrier Thomson Airways will take delivery of two further Boeing 787s and 47 new 737 MAX aircraft by 2020 as part of its “five-year vision to change the face of holiday flying,” the airline said.

This will give Thomson Airways an average fleet age of five years.

The Dreamliner aircraft will increase long-haul capacity, and new destinations will include the only direct flight from the UK to Costa Rica in November 2015, with expanded operations in the Eastern Caribbean and the Antilles. Vietnam and Malaysia in Southeast Asia are under consideration.

The 737 MAX aircraft are expected to be around 14% more fuel efficient than the current 737s, contributing to Thomson’s favorable carbon performance. New seating concepts will include a “family booth,” which provides “more social seating for four to six people situated at the back of the aircraft around a table,” the airline said. A further innovation is “duo-seating”—whereby three pod-style seats become two with a refreshment table, in-seat charging and mood lighting.

Other new features include an onboard kids’ club, an onboard HolidayMaker resort representative, new inflight entertainment content and channels, and iPad-enabled crew to personalize customer service.

The existing 737 and 757 fleets will undergo a “multi-million pound refresh” this winter to provide “a more contemporary onboard environment,” the airline said.

TUI MD-UK & Ireland David Burling said: “Our airline business has traditionally been categorized in the charter sector, which is often perceived as the poor relation to scheduled and, in reality, bears little resemblance to the Thomson Airways' experience today. We want to define and lead a new category of flying—the holiday airline category. This describes an airline designed for the specific needs of the holiday maker and fully connected to the holiday experience in the destination.”

(Ann Paylor - Air Transport World News)