Vietjet is welcoming some 200 new 737 BMAX aircraft to its fleet after the airline carrier reaffirmed the purchase commitment with Boeing during the 2022 Farnborough International Air Show recently.
The airline said in a statement that Boeing will soon execute a flexible aircraft delivery schedule in a bid to support and meet its growth plans.
With more new routes launched to keep up with the growing demand for air travel, this aircraft order is indeed timely. As a start, the first 50 aircraft will be delivered to Thai Vietjet – the affiliate company of Vietjet in Thailand. Thai Vietjet is currently one of the leading domestic airlines in Thailand, highly favoured by the Thais.
“As part of the order agreement, Boeing will also be providing and supporting Vietjet with maintenance, technical support and training to ensure lasting and sustainable growth with the highest levels of efficiency, reliability and affordability,” the statement said.
This deal has been a long-standing arrangement, with the first order for 100 B737 Max aircraft was announced back in 2016, and then was increased to 200 aircraft in 2019, a record-breaking deal for Boeing. However, due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, Boeing’s global supply chain was affected and this resulted in an interruption of the delivery schedule.
Despite all these challenges, Vietjet said both companies weathered the storm and demonstrated “excellent operational and financial capabilities that will only continue to grow in the future”.
“The fact that Vietjet and Boeing still followed through with this agreement now is a testament to the remarkable and trusting relationship between the two companies. This agreement is a milestone in the long-standing and trusting relationship between Vietjet and Boeing, as well as the Vietnam – US trade economy.
“Taking into account the recent aviation infrastructure constraints in Vietnam, the first 50 aircraft will be delivered to Thai Vietjet and it will be embedded with Vietjet’s signature livery. These Boeing aircraft will soon take off into the Thai skies with investment from international financial resources,” said Dinh Viet Phuong, managing director of Vietjet.
The order for 200 aircraft is expected to bring about 200,000 jobs to the US labour market and is projected to create a value worth about USD$35 billion, including both the aircraft and maintenance engineering services.
In addition, this could become a precursor to other investments into Vietnam’s aviation industry and could see the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs, including new openings at airports, air traffic control centres, technical services, training centres, research centres and so on.
“We are honored to continue our partnership with Vietjet to drive affordable passenger service in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation regions. The B737 Max, with its efficiency, flexibility, and capability, will support Vietjet’s goal to grow its route network in Asia and beyond,” said John Bruns, vice president of India & Southeast Asia Sales and Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
