VietJet Air takes delivery of its first Airbus A321 aircraft on 22 March 2015

Report contributed by : Chai Peng Kong
Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

 

VietJet Air took delivery of its first Airbus A321 aircraft, the 9,000th aircraft manufactured by Airbus, in Ho Chi Minh City at 2:30 pm on 22 March 2015. Coded VN-A65, VietJet’s first A321 aircraft is its fifth aircraft from a purchase order of 100 aircraft produced by Airbus.

The new aircraft, which was purchased in a deal financed by BNP Paribas bank (France) and Jackson Square (Japan), has been emblazoned with the words “Airbus' 9,000th aircraft”.

Earlier the aircraft delivery ceremony was celebrated in Hamburg (Germany) with the attendance of the Vice President of Airbus, Nico Petersen and the Vietnam Ambassador to Germany, Nguyen Thi Hoang Anh.

The A320 single-aisle jetliner family is the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. The A321 aircraft features Sharklets wingtip devices. The widest passenger cabin in its class, the A321 also boasts extended service intervals for the air-frame and the stretched-fuselage can seat up to 220 passengers in a high-density arrangement.

Airbus has brought the benefits of increased maximum seating capacities to all A321 designs with further optimized cabin space and increased exit limits while retaining the company’s modern, comfort standards.

This newly arrived A321 jet will take VietJet Air’s fleet up to a total of 23 aircraft, facilitating the airline’s expansion plans, which include opening longer haul routes to South Korea, Japan, and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region.

“We are very proud to welcome a new A321 to our family in line with our expansion plans in Asia Pacific. We believe that the new fleet will further facilitate our business plan as well as offer customers more and more wonderful flying experiences. Once again, we are delighted to welcome the 9,000th aircraft of Airbus into our enthusiastic family.” said Luu Duc Khanh, managing director of VietJet Air. 

John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer of Airbus, also shared his delight at the handover: “It is a great honour for us to deliver the 9,000th aircraft to VietJet – a rising star among airlines in Asia. The new A321 will boost VietJet’s operation to a new level in terms of cost efficiency for single-aisle aircraft.”

Receiving its first A321 is a significant milestone on VietJet Air’s strategic business plan after three years of operations. Vietjet has fast become one of the most popular airlines in Vietnam and is now enjoying introducing its services to multiple markets across Southeast Asia and further afield in Asia.

By adding more brand new, modern aircraft, VietJet will improve its cost efficiency, and as a result be able to offer even better air fares to customers while expanding its flight network and contributing to the development of the aviation industry in Vietnam and in the region.