HANOI- Vietnamese flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines (VN) plans to issue requests for proposals (RFP or in simple terms new order bids) to aircraft manufacturers in H1 of 2025 to purchase 50 narrowbody jets, CEO Le Hong Ha announced on Wednesday (November 13, 2024).
The airline had previously signed a provisional deal with Boeing for 50 737 MAX jets, which remains unfinalized.
Vietnam Airlines New Order
“In Vietnam, we must go through a bidding process, so the door is still open to all,” Ha told Reuters at an Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines event in Brunei. “Boeing is one option, and they have made us a very good offer.”
The primary contenders for this contract are Airbus and Boeing, with Airbus’ A320neo family competing against Boeing’s 737 MAX. Chinese manufacturer COMAC, however, is also working to enter the market with its C919.
Currently, Vietnam Airlines operates an all-Airbus narrowbody fleet. The airline projects a need for 170 new aircraft by 2035, Ha noted. This means they can almost triple the fleet size in a decade.
The upcoming proposals create an opportunity for COMAC’s C919 to compete.
China has shown increased interest in marketing its aircraft to Vietnam; last week, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with a senior COMAC official in China, who highlighted Vietnam’s market potential, as reported by Vietnam’s state news agency.
Current Fleet
Vietnam Airlines is actually an All-Airbus narrowbody fleet operator. However, it operates a mix of Airbus and Boeing widebody fleets.
According to Planespotters.net data, Vietnam Airlines operates a fleet of 93 Aircraft including 63 narrowbody and remaining 30 widebody planes.
The airline recently took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo aircraft and anticipates adding two more by the end of this year. The aircraft comes with a two-class configuration and 182 total seats.
The fleet history data shows that Vietnam Airlines previously operated two Boeing 737-300 aircraft but that is 30 years ago and for a short duration of time.
The airline has always maintained a good relationship with Boeing as it has operated widebody aircraft such as Boeing 767s and 777s previously. Currently, it operates 787 Dreamliners.
Here’s the fleet overview based on aircraft type:
- 1 Airbus A320neo
- 42 A321-200
- 20 A321neo
- 14 Airbus A350XWB
- 11 Boeing 787-9
- 5 Boeing 787-10
The Skyteam Alliance member carrier also aims to take delivery of the sixth Boeing 787-10 in the coming months.
Currently, Vietnam Airlines operates flights to 35 International and 22 Domestic destinations as of November 2024.
Feature Image by Clément Alloing | Flickr
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