Vietnam Airlines to buy 30 Airbus jets

HANOI: Airbus last Friday signed deals for 30 passenger jets with Vietnam Airlines and an aircraft leasing company, the latest orders in a major shopping spree by the state-run Asian carrier.
The European aircraft maker signed contracts, agreed in principle and announced last Oct 1 in Paris, for 10 A350-900XWB aircraft and 20 A321-200s at a ceremony in the capital Hanoi.
The 30 Airbus jets have a total catalogue price of nearly US$3.8 billion (K11 billion). The first A321s are due to be delivered by 2012 and the first wide-body, long-haul A350s by 2016, the companies said.
The Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Company (VALC), which is co-owned by Vietnam Airlines and a number of state banks and companies in the communist country, bought 10 of the A321s, while the airline bought the other 20 jets.
Vietnam Airlines – which said it hoped to become one of Asia’s leading carriers alongside Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines – last month signed a deal with US aircraft maker Boeing for 12 787-8 Dreamliners. – AFP
The latest deals were signed by Airbus CEO in charge of customer relations John Leahy, Vietnam Airlines chief executive officer (CEO) Pham Ngoc Minh and VALC CEO Tran Long.
“Airbus is proud to be playing a central role in the continued modernisation of the rapidly developing Vietnamese air transport industry,” Leahy said..
Air travel is fast growing in the country of 84 million -- which had seen tourism and business travel surge amid more than 8% economic growth last year -- and foreign airlines and budget carriers are flocking to Vietnam. - AFP