Vietnam Airlines place deposit on new Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft
The Prime Minister has agreed to Vietnam Airlines placing a deposit of US$200,000 for each of the Airbus A350-900 aircraft the airline will purchase. Vietnam Airlines has 12 A350 XWBs on order. Vietnam Airlines is expected to receive the first A350 in 2016 under the contract to buy 10 aircraft of this type that its general director Pham Ngoc Minh signed with Airbus in Hanoi in December 2007. Under the US$3.5-billion deals, Airbus will supply ten A321-200s and ten A350-900s to Vietnam Airlines and another ten A321s to Vietnam’s first aircraft leasing firm VALC. At the Paris Air Show in June 2009, Vietnam Airlines also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for two Airbus A350 XWBs. The additional Airbus A350 XWBs and the 16 A321s that Vietnam Airlines ordered with Airbus at the international air show in France have a total catalogue price of US$1.9 billion. The A350 is Airbus’ medium-capacity long-range widebody type able to fly up to 15,400km. Airbus said the A350 XWB would be one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft it had designed to enhance productivity and offer high passenger comfort in its class. With the A350 XWB, Vietnam Airlines will operate one of the most modern fleets in the region and be in a better place to meet demand on both its Asian and international services. Vietnam Airlines currently operates a fleet of 52 aircraft for flights to some 20 domestic and 23 international destinations. The airline plans to expand its aircraft fleet to 104 aircraft by 2015 and 150 by 2020. Source: VietNamNet/SGT
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|