While the Southeast Asian region’s aviation has been the slowest to fully recover from the pandemic, airlines in Vietnam have been plowing ahead by adding new aircraft, routes, and services during 2024. The latest movement came this week when Vietnam Airlines welcomed its first Airbus A320neo, the first of three it will receive this year.
A time for celebration
Vietnam Airlines is the flag carrier of Vietnam and a member of the Skyteam Alliance, operating on 100 routes to 21 domestic and 29 international destinations. It has a fleet of nearly 100 aircraft, and this week, it welcomed its first Airbus A320neo, which will join its existing fleet of A320 Family narrowbodies.
Photo: Vietnam Airlines
The new A320neo, registration VN-A513 and MSN 12148, landed in Hanoi on Sunday, July 7, after a relatively short ferry flight from Airbus in France. The delivery started with a departure on July 6 from Toulouse Balgnac Airport (TLS), the home of Airbus, at 17:39. The first leg involved a 6:35 hour flight that landed in Qatar at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) at 01:14.
The A320neo had a brief stopover in the Middle East before departing Doha Hamad at 03:00 for the 7:22-hour leg to Vietnam Airlines’ home at Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), landing at 14:22 on Monday. According to tracking data from Flightradar24, the aircraft has not yet operated any further flights since it arrived in Hanoi.
The arrival of a new aircraft type is always an exciting time for airlines, particularly when the new plane brings the significant performance and sustainability improvements that come with the A320neo and A321neo. Compared to the previous-generation aircraft, the A320neo reduces fuel consumption by 16%, cuts noise levels by 75% and produces 50% fewer emissions.
Fleet data from ch-aviation shows that Vietnam Airlines has 98 aircraft, including one A320neo, 42 Airbus A321-200s, 20 A321neos, 14 A350-900s, four Boeing 787-10s, and 11 787-9s. It also operates six ATR72-500 turboprops on a wet lease arrangement from affiliate airline Vietnam Air Services (VASCO).
A young fleet getting younger
The new A320neos are configured in a two-class layout of 182 seats, with eight in business class and 174 in economy class. The seats feature a 28-29-inch seat pitch and 5-inch recline, and a wireless inflight entertainment system will add to the passenger experience.
Photo: Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines said the new A320neos reaffirm its commitment to fleet modernization and operational enhancement to meet increasing travel demand, especially during the summer season. The delivery of the new narrowbodies will provide nearly 40,000 seats during the summer peak and 300,000 seats in the year’s second half.
The first aircraft will initially operate on domestic routes, such as Hanoi to Dalat, Hanoi to Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh City to Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City to Chu Lai. Vietnam Airlines is the only airline operating nonstop services between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN).
These long-haul flights are operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliners configured in three-class layouts, including business class, premium economy and economy cabins. The full-service carrier operates the 787-9 and 787-10 types and expects to receive additional new 787-10s in the near future.
Source: Simple Flying
