Another big blow for Airbus.
The European aeronautics giant announced Thursday, February 22, an agreement in principle with the Vietnamese airline Vietjet Air for the purchase of 20 A330-900 wide-body aircraft.
Vietjet has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for aircraft that will replace its current fleet of leased A330-300s, Airbus said in a statement released during the Singapore Airshow.
“We look forward to working with Vietjet on the next phase of the airline's expansion
,” said Christian Scherer, general manager of Airbus' commercial aircraft business.
Once finalized, the order will be Vietjet's largest widebody purchase ever, the airline said.
Airbus did not provide details on the contract amount.
At list price, Vietjet's order is worth $5.9 billion (€5.4 billion), but customers generally receive a discount for large orders.
The first deliveries planned for 2026
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, senior vice president of sales for Airbus' commercial aircraft division, described the deal as a
"purchasing commitment"
from VietJet, adding that the deal is expected to be finalized
"in the next few weeks”
for first deliveries in 2026. The low-cost airline Vietjet operates a fleet of more than 105 aircraft and serves more than 30 international destinations.
The new aircraft will operate on the carrier's growing long-haul network, as well as regional routes.
They will replace the current fleet of A330-300s that the carrier operates under lease and will also enable network expansion.
“The new A330neo aircraft is a strategic addition to modernize Vietjet’s fleet
,” said Dinh Viet Phuong, CEO of Vietjet in a statement.
“The introduction of the next generation A330neo into Vietjet’s fleet will play a crucial role in the airline’s sustainability strategy to achieve net zero (carbon) emissions by 2050
,” he said. he adds.
Vietnamese airlines have largely expanded their fleets to meet a sharp increase in domestic travel in recent years as well as international travel.
Vietjet has been present in the Vietnamese airline sector since 2011 when a large part of the market was until then dominated by the national company Vietnam Airlines.
Owned by Vietnam's only female billionaire, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, the company made a name for itself with racy marketing campaigns featuring near-naked models and staging its inaugural flights with bikini-clad flight attendants.