In Vietnam, leisure carrier Vietravel Airlines signed a major Letter of Intent with Airbus on September 10, 2026, outlining its intention to purchase 50 new narrowbody airliners to power a fleet transformation.

The preliminary commitment includes 20 Airbus A220 aircraft alongside 30 aircraft from the Airbus A321 family, comprising both A321neo and ultra-long-range A321XLR variants, with deliveries targeted to begin in 2029. The high-level signing ceremony took place at the Élysée Palace in Paris in the presence of Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron during an official bilateral state visit.

Under the carrier’s network development strategy, the smaller A220 fleet will focus on point-to-point regional expansion to unserved and secondary domestic and international routes, while the A321neo and A321XLR variants will handle high-density domestic trunk sectors and mid- to long-haul international markets across the Asia-Pacific region.

Vietravel Airlines has been accoladed with Asia’s Leading New Airline award at the recent World Travel Awards (WTA) Asia and Oceania Gala Ceremony 2022 held in Vietnam on September 7.

Vietravel Airlines’s product and service excellence within the first year of operation led to the airline’s success at the award while surpassing two other nominees from Asia in the same category.

As the fifth commercial airline in Vietnam and the first travel airline in Southeast Asia, the company promotes Vietnamese culture, people, history, and regions through unique experiences on board a modern fleet of A321 aircrafts.

Photo: Wikipedia.

Aside to in-flight experiences, including exclusive guides, local flavor inspired snacks and beverages equivalent to 4-star airlines, personalized wireless entertainment system, and a nearly 100% flight safety index, Vietravel Airlines is among the top three on time performance (OTP) in the Vietnamese aviation industry.

Vietravel Airlines in Numbers

• Over 8000 flight-hours made 100% safe
• 1,500,000 passengers with >92% load factor (flight occupancy rate)
• 94.2% average OTP take-off rate in the first seven months of 2022
• Connecting two major hubs, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to popular tourist destinations throughout Vietnam: Phu Quoc, Quy Nhon, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hue, and Da Lat in 2021.

After focusing on promoting Vietnam’s key tourist destinations in the first year, Vietravel Airlines is expanding its flight routes from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Bangkok (Thailand), Busan& Incheon (Korea), Singapore, Taipei (Taiwan) at the end of 2022.

The airline commenced operations on November 25, 2021.