VietJetAir (VJ, Hanoi Noi Bai International) is planning to make a decision on whether to add maiden widebody aircraft to its fleet with options including A330neo and A350s from Airbus, as well as B787s from Boeing, FlightGlobal has reported.
"This year we will decide yes or no. We've taken a long time to study this model, and we're being very careful about the cost efficiencies of widebodies. This year we will make a conclusion," VP Commercial, Sales, Marketing and Communications Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh said.
If the carrier decides to add widebody equipment to its fleet, it would most likely focus on serving destinations with significant Vietnamese diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia, with Los Angeles International singled out as one potential destination to be launched already in 2019.
The Vietnamese carrier is currently blocked from expansion to the United States due to the lack of FAA category rating for Vietnam, although it is expected to be assigned Category 1 rating during the course of 2018.
VietJetAir is also mulling ordering A321neo(LR)s which would allow it to expand its medium-haul network.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, VietJetAir currently operates twenty-nine A320-200s, twenty-nine A321-200s, and a single A321-200neo. Its subsidiary Thai VietJetAir operates a further four A320-200s.
VietJetAir currently has a further six A321-200s, seventy-two A321-200neos, and 100 B737-8-200s on order with the manufacturers.
The Vietnamese LCC currently operates a mainly domestic network. It also flies internationally to Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea out of its two hubs at Hanoi Noi Bai International and Ho Chi Minh City.
