Orient Thai Airlines
Orient Thai Airlines Co., Ltd. was[1] a Thai airline with its head office in Khlong Toei, Bangkok.[2] It operated charter and scheduled services in Southeast Asia and was based at Don Mueang International Airport. On October 9, 2018, the airline ceased all operations.[3]
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Founded | 1995 | ||||||
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Ceased operations | July 2018 (flight operations) 9 October 2018 (liquidation) | ||||||
Hubs | Don Mueang International Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 13 | ||||||
Destinations | 4 | ||||||
Headquarters | Khlong Toei, Bangkok, Thailand | ||||||
Key people | Kajit Habanananda, Chairman | ||||||
Website | flyorientthai.com |
History
Orient Thai Airlines and its now-defunct wholly owned domestic carrier One-Two-GO Airlines are the only Thai airlines to bear a royal seal, made possible by the owner's, Udom Tantiprasonchai, close relationship with the King of Thailand, based on Mr. Tantiprasongchai's history of breaking traditional commercial barriers for Thailand. Prior to their current location, Orient Thai and its subsidiary One-Two-GO were headquartered in Don Mueang District, Bangkok.[4][5]
On 22 July 2008, shortly after the crash of One-Two-GO Airlines Flight 269 in Phuket which killed 89 people, and after the Internet publication of illegally excessive work hours and check ride fraud, Orient Thai and One-Two-GO were ordered to suspend service for 56 days.[6]
On 22 September 2010, Orient Thai took delivery of its first Boeing 747-400 aircraft, previously registered as N548MD, and arrived at the Orient Thai base as HS-STC.[7] In November 2015, Orient Thai Airways signed a contract with the Amadeus IT Group to be listed in Global Distribution Systems for the first time.[8]
In early May 2016, the airline was sanctioned for the second time within a few weeks by the Civil Aviation Administration of China after violating regulations.[9] In September 2017, Orient Thai Airlines temporarily suspended all operations.[10] In December 2017, it resumed services after completing re-certification with the Thai aviation authorities.[11]
As of July 2018, Orient Thai Airlines suspended all operations and entered a restructuring process.[12] The airline later ceased operations on 9 October 2018.
Destinations
As of November 2017, Orient Thai Airlines served the following scheduled destinations:[13]
- Thailand
- People's Republic of China
Fleet
Current fleet
As of July 2018, the Orient Thai Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[14]
Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 737-300 | 4 | — | all currently stored |
Boeing 737-400 | 2 | — | all currently stored |
Boeing 747-400 | 3 | — | all currently stored |
Boeing 767-300 | 5 | — | all currently stored |
Total | 14 | — |
Retired aircraft
During its history, Orient Thai Airlines operated a wide range of pre-owned aircraft including most variants of the Boeing 747:[15]
Aircraft | Total | Note |
---|---|---|
Boeing 737-300 | 2 | ex Continental Airlines and Air China |
Boeing 747-100 | 2 | ex Japan Airlines |
Boeing 747-100SR/SUD | 2 | ex Japan Airlines |
Boeing 747-200B | 7 | ex Japan Airlines, United Airlines and Orange Air aircraft |
Boeing 747-200SF | 1 | Cargo aircraft ex Japan Airlines; sold to MK Airlines |
Boeing 747-200SCD | 1 | Cargo aircraft ex Japan Airlines; sold to MK Airlines |
Boeing 747-300 | 6 | ex Korean Air and Japan Airlines; 1 sold to Max Air |
Boeing 747-300M | 1 | ex KLM |
Boeing 747-400 | 1 | ex Garuda Indonesia and Cathay Pacific Airways |
Boeing 747-400M | 1 | ex Saudia; sold to Eaglexpress |
Boeing 767-300ER | 3 | ex Aeroflot and China Eastern Airlines |
McDonnell Douglas MD-81 | 2 | ex Japan Airlines |
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 2 | ex MontAir and China Southern Airlines |
Incidents and accidents
- In September 2004, an Orient Thai 747 mistakenly flew within 200 meters of Japan's Tokyo Tower over the heart of downtown Tokyo.[16]
- On 31 July 2013, a chartered Orient Thai 737-400 operating as OX833 made an emergency landing at Surat Thani airport, carrying Chinese passengers from Shenzhen to Phuket. None of the 130 passengers and nine crew was injured.[17]
References
- "." Orient Thai Airlines profile."
- "Contact Us Archived 2012-05-15 at the Wayback Machine." Orient Thai Airlines. Retrieved on 27 February 2012. "18 Ratchadapisek Road,Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110" – Thai Archived 2011-11-23 at the Wayback Machine: "เลขที่ 18 ถนนรัชดาภิเษก แขวงคลองเตย เขตคลองเตย กรุงเทพฯ 10110"
- https://www.thairath.co.th/news/business/1394533
- "Contact Us." Orient Thai Airlines. Retrieved on 4 Mar 2010. "Orient-Thai Airlines 222, Room 3606, Vipavadee Rangsit Rd, Seekan, Don Muang, Bangkok 10210. "
- "Contact Us." One-Two-GO Airlines. Retrieved on 4 March 2010. "Head office Address : 222, Room 3602, Vipavadee Rangsit Rd, Seekan, Donmuang, Bangkok 10210."
- "Matters of the Facts regarding Suspension of Air Operator Certificate of Orient Thai Airlines Co., Ltd. and One Two Go Airline Co., Ltd" (PDF). Department of Civil Aviation News. 2008-07-28. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
- "Skyliner – aviation news & more". www.skyliner-aviation.de. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ch-aviation.com – Orient Thai selects Amadeus as GDS partner 5 November 2015
- "CAAC again sanctions Orient Thai". Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/59354-orient-thai-temporarily-suspends-flight-operations
- https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/62029-orient-thai-airlines-completes-re-certification
- ch-aviation.com - Orient Thai Airlines retrieved 31 July 2018
- flyorientthai.com – Flight Schedule retrieved 5 November 2017
- planespotters.net – Orient Thai Airlines Fleet Details and History retrieved 8 June 2018
- planespotters.net – Orient Thai Airlines Fleet Details and History: Historic Fleet retrieved 8 February 2017
- "Orient Thai B747 passes within 200m of Tokyo Tower". Retrieved 2011-07-27.
- Maierbrugger, Arno (1 Aug 2013). "Exclusive – Orient Thai in near-crash landing". Inside Investor. Retrieved 1 Aug 2013.