Thai Airways International was formed in 1960, as a joint venture between Thailand’s domestic airline, Thai Airways Company (TAC) and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). The airline commenced its operations in 1960, with flights to nine overseas destinations within Asian continent. In 1971, Thai Airways started its intercontinental services, with flights to Australia, followed by flights to Europe in 1972 and to North America in 1980. In 1988, Thai Airways International merged with the domestic airline, Thai Airways Company. In 1991, Thailand Government approved a resolution authorizing Thai Airways to list its shares on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Subsequently, listing of Thai Airways shares was commenced on July 19, 1991.
The main hub of Thai Airways International is Bangkok International Airport. In 2006, Thai international was credited with the award of 'World’s Best Cabin Staff and The Best Airline in the World' by Skytrax. In 2009, Thai Airways International's first class lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport was honored as the 'best First Class Lounge in the World', by Skytrax.
Their fleet consists of Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-300, Boeing 777-200, Boeing 737-400, Airbus 340-500, Airbus 340-600, Airbus 330-300, Airbus A300-600, and ATR-72. Thai Airways has an extensive network in India. Presently, it flies to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bangalore. By the end of October 2006, Thai Airways added Bodhgaya, Varanasi, and Hyderabad to its list of destinations. In Asia, it also serves China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Kuwait, Oman and UAE. The other international destinations covered by Thai Airways International are Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K, U.S, Australia, and New Zealand.