Vietjet Extends Airbus Relationship with Major Narrowbody Order

LE BOURGET: Vietnamese LCC Vietjet signed an MoU for 100 Airbus A321neos with options for up to 50 more.

The order, announced Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, came just three weeks after Vietjet doubled its firm orders for the A330neo widebody to 40 aircraft. The carrier also has orders for 96 A320neo-family aircraft that were placed before Tuesday’s deal.

Vietjet operates an all-Airbus fleet comprising 115 single-aisle A320-family aircraft and seven A330-300s.

“These modern and efficient aircraft have been instrumental in Vietjet’s growth, helping us make air travel more accessible and affordable for millions, while strengthening our role as a connector for economic development, cultural exchange and global connectivity. This landmark agreement represents a vital step in Vietjet’s growth strategy as a multi-national aviation group,” Vietjet chairwoman Ng (Nguyen) Thi Phuong Thao said at the show.

Nguyen added that the A321 and A320neo would be perfect for Vietjet as the carrier sought to build out an aviation eco-system in Vietnam and pursued its ambitions to build a dense network of flights in the Asia-Pacific region.

The company is particularly looking at the huge regional markets of India, China and Indonesia, Nguyen said. “Our plan is to link these regional destinations with our long-haul international routes to build out a very dense flight route.”

Vietjet also has outstanding orders for 200 Boeing 737 MAXs and in June announced it would transfer 50 MAX 737-8s to sister-company Vietjet Thailand.

The MAX deal was originally signed in 2016, revised in 2019 and then reaffirmed during then US President Joe Biden’s visit to Vietnam in 2023.

However, no aircraft have been delivered as yet, and Nguyen noted that, “unfortunately, some of our old OEMs aren’t able to keep up with our pace of growth and ambitions.” That was a major reason behind the latest Airbus order, she said.

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