May 4, 2024

Declaration of Intent: Vietnam Airlines betrays Airbus and buys Boeing 737 MAX

The Southeast Asian country’s national airline previously flew short- and medium-haul flights with Airbus aircraft. Vietnam Airlines has now decided to purchase 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Boeing already has a good customer in Vietnam. Vietjet Air ordered 100 737 Max planes seven years ago and doubled the order to 200 planes two years later. The low-cost airline switched from Airbus to Boeing.

The Southeast Asian country’s national airline also plans to buy a Boeing 737 MAX. The then-president explained in 2019 that they wanted to order 50 to 100 copies, and shareholders have also already approved the plan. But then came the decision to ground short- and medium-haul aircraft globally and the pandemic, and Vietnam Airlines postponed the order.

Expansion with new aircraft

Now the airline is catching up. As Boeing announced on Monday, September 11, Vietnam Airlines has signed a letter of intent to order 50 copies of the 737 MAX 8. The ceremony was also attended by US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and representatives of the White House and the Vietnamese government. Officials. Because it is a victory for the American aircraft manufacturer. Until now, Vietnam Airlines has also relied entirely on Airbus A321 and A321 Neo aircraft for its short and medium-haul fleet.

Dang Ngoc Hoa, Chairman of Vietnam Airlines, said the new aircraft are an important part of the strategy. This means that you can benefit from positive recovery dynamics. The airline wants to have about 60 new planes by 2030 and 100 by 2035. For the recently retired ATR, it is looking at the Airbus A220 and Embraer E2.

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