UPDATE 1-Thai Airways to acquire 45 wide-body Boeing jets

(Updates from paragraph 3 onwards with comments from CEO interview, context)

BANGKOK, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Thai Airways International said on Wednesday it entered into an agreement with Boeing and GE Aerospace for a firm order of 45 wide-body jets to expand its fleet, with deliveries starting in 2027.

"The long-term aircraft acquisition plan is crucial for replacing gradually expiring leased and aging aircraft," Thai Airways said in a statement.

The announcement confirms a Reuters report from this month.

The order also came with options for additional aircraft, the airline said, adding that its fleet size would reach 96 jets after the acquisition.

The new jets would also allow the carrier to capture enough traffic to generate at least 180 billion baht ($4.98 billion) in annual revenue from 2025 onwards, in line with the airline's rehabilitation plan, CEO Chai Eamsiri told Reuters in an interview earlier this month.

"Without aircraft, how you can reach that level? It's simple. We need capacity, we need aircraft," he said.

Thai Airways entered bankruptcy-protected restructuring in 2021 when the pandemic halted airline travel and grounded aircrafts around the world.

Throughout its process of restructuring 400 billion baht ($11.08 billion) worth of debt, it sold off planes and other assets like office space and slimmed down its workforce.

This acquisition will not affect the ability to repay debts to the creditors, the airline said.

The carrier could exit restructuring this year, Chai said in the interview, citing growing travel demand, higher ticket prices and the airline's strong route performance.

Cabin factor, the average amount of seats sold, last year was "better than expected," he said, and that European, Japan and Australian routes were performing. ($1 = 36.1200 baht) (Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Martin Petty)