Vietjet order A321XLR, sign Airbus training agreement

Vietnamese carrier Vietjet has placed a firm order for 15 A321XLR and will convert five A321neo aircraft from its existing backlog.

The announcement was made during a visit to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse by Vietjet President & CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, hosted by Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury.

During the visit, the airline also signed a new training agreement with Airbus Services. This will see Airbus position two new A320 Family FFS at the carrier’s training centre in Ho Chi Minh City. Airbus will also provide a range of training services to the airline and its instructors.

Vietjet will be among the first airlines to receive the A321XLR. The addition of the aircraft to its fleet will allow Vietjet to expand further its network, flying longer routes across Asia, as well as to destinations as far afield as Australia and Russia.

"We are proud of operating one of the world’s youngest Airbus fleets with an average age of only 2.7 years," said Thao. "The new A321XLR will be the perfect upgrade to Vietjet’s fleet as we look to grow our international flight network."

Faury said Vietjet was one of the fastest growing carriers in Asia and that he was proud of the deal.

"This order is another strong endorsement of our decision to bring true long range capability to the singe aisle market with the A321XLR, enabling airlines to extend their networks at the lowest possible cost," he said.

Including today’s announcement, Vietjet has now ordered a total of 186 A320 Family aircraft, of which 60 have been delivered.