NORWALK, Conn., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Thai Airways International Public Company Limited recently signed a Block Space Agreement to utilize two Boeing 777-200 Long Range Freighter Aircraft operated by Southern Air Inc. (SAI).
Mr. Pruet Boobphakam, THAI Executive Vice President Commercial and Acting Managing Director of Cargo & Mail Commercial Department, said that under the Aircraft Block Space Agreement, THAI acquired all of the capacity on SAI's brand new B777-200LR Freighter aircraft. The agreement makes THAI the first operator in the region to offer this capability to its cargo customers.
The B777-200LR Freighter is the most advanced freighter aircraft ever built in term of fuel efficiency and low carbon footprint and has more than 100 metric tons of cargo capacity. The two aircraft will arrive in early 2010 and are expected to be used initially for the route from Bangkok to Europe and eventually for additional routes such as Australia and the US.
At the signing ceremony, Mr. Brian R. Neff, President of SAI, said, "There is growing recognition in the cargo industry that the B777LRF will be the long-haul aircraft for the coming decade and beyond, and our new partnership with THAI Cargo only confirms this recognition. We welcome THAI Cargo into our blue-chip customer base and look forward to a successful cooperation."
Southern Air Inc. was founded in 1999 as a low-cost, high-quality cargo carrier specializing in the provision of block space and aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance ("ACMI") services through its fleet of 17 B747 freighter aircraft. It is the first ACMI operator in the world to operate the next generation of freighter aircraft, which includes the B777-200LRF and the B747-8F.