Vietnam Aviation Industry Flies High

 

According to Sean Lee, Airbus Head of Regional Communications - Asia at a presentation to the Vietnamese media on August 21 in Hanoi, passenger traffic on key trunk routes in and out of Vietnam could grow much faster than world average in the coming years. Whereas, world passenger traffic is forecast to grow at 4.9 percent per year on average.

 

The Airbus relationship with Vietnam dated back to 1991 with the operation of A310 aircraft on behalf of Vietnam Airlines by Singapore-based Regionair. This was followed at the end of 1993 by the arrival of the first of seven 150 seat A320s operated under a wet lease agreement with Air France.

 

The first of the new A320 family aircraft for Vietnam Airlines was delivered in July 1996 under an operating lease agreement. Vietnam Airlines then placed its first direct order for five Airbus A321 aircraft in October 2002 and a subsequent order for ten A321s in December 2004.

 

December 2007 saw yet another landmark for Airbus in Vietnam, when Airbus Chief Operating Officer - Customer, John Leahy announced the sale of 10 all-new wide body A350 XWBs and 10 A321s to the Vietnam Airlines. At the same time Vietnam Aviation Leasing Company announced an order for 10 A321s, which will be leased to Vietnam Airlines.

 

Vietnam Airlines currently operates 26 Airbus aircraft, including 13 owned and 13 leased aircraft. These include three A330s, 13 A321s and ten A320s.

 

Earlier this year value-based airline Jetstar Pacific announced that it will become a new operator of the A320 later this year. Under its plans, the carrier could introduce up to 30 A320s on its growing domestic and regional network over the next six years.

 

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus sees a requirement for the superjumbo A380 in Vietnam in the next decade, driven by the continued exceptionally strong traffic growth in and out of the country, said Lee.

 

With a typical seating capacity of 525 passengers in three classes, the A380 is the world’s largest passenger aircraft and offers a non-stop flying range of up to 8,200 nautical miles or 15,200 kilometers. This brings all major European destinations, such as London, Frankfurt and Paris, within non-stop flying range form Hanoi, as well as major US West Coast cities such as Los Angeles. As shown during a highly successful demonstration flight into Hanoi last September, the aircraft can operate into any airport capable of handling the Boeing 747.

 

In addition to offering the highest levels of passenger comfort available today, Mr Lee said that the A380 is the most fuel-efficient wide body aircraft ever produced, burning less than 3 liters of fuel per passenger for every 100 kilometers flown. This is significantly less per person than an average car on sale in Europe and is already better than the average fuel burn expected for the worldwide passenger fleet of all aircraft types in 2025. While airlines benefit from the operating economics of the A380, Mr Lee said that the aircraft was also good news for the environment, producing significantly less emission in flight and half the noise around airports than older aircraft such as the 747.

Also during the press briefing in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr Lee said that Airbus had recorded overall strong sales to date this year, with a total of 754 new orders booked by the end of July. These included orders from Vietnam Airlines for 10 all-new A350 XWB's and 10 single aisle A321s. Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Company also placed firm orders for 10 A321s, which will also be operated by Vietnam Airlines on lease.

 

Mr Lee said that the recent orders from Vietnam reaffirmed Airbus’s position as the leading supplier of large jet aircraft to the country, with the manufacturer accounting for 63 percent of all aircraft with more than 100 seats in service in Vietnam today and 71 percent of all outstanding future orders.