Dreamliners

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Dreamliners
The ex-FCA 763s are to a higher quality, more recently completed, internal long-haul configuration however. 21 years is nothing to an aircraft so if they need to be kept on for longer, they'll do so - just look at the age of some of the 752s which are only leaving this winter and stayed to see out the last summer. But yes, the entire batch of ex-FCA 763s will be the first out accompanied by some of Thomson's original batch which are also now getting on. The only reason they're so 'desperate' to have rid of PJLO & DBLA is because they lack winglets meaning they cost more to operate. OOAN could be kept even longer and, the last I was told, is to stay put for a limited period once the 788s arrive as a, if nothing else, backup airframe to work into a rotation as required; the 788s are down to spend their first few months on short haul operations to increase crew T/O & landing cycles.

At any rate, Thomson aren't in a position to run short on aircraft (unlike TCX who have had an atrocious time of it, with airframes going tech away from base etc, since reducing the fleet size) as they have enough aircraft to cover any potential flights the 788s are preliminarily booked for with the 738s currently operating on winter lease for SunWings in Canada.