Bamboo Airways (QH, Hanoi Noi Bai International) has committed to twenty B787-9s from Boeing (BOE, Washington National), the US manufacturer has announced.

According to a statement, Bamboo Airways completed the deposit requirement in mid-June to reserve the 20 widebody jets, which are tentatively scheduled to deliver from April 2020 through 2021. They will be used to open up direct flights from Vietnam to North Asian markets as well as Europe and North America from 2023 onwards.

Earlier this year, parent firm FLC Group inked a memorandum of understanding with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for the proposed purchase of twenty-four A321neo due for delivery between 2022 and 2025.

Bamboo Airways is still awaiting approval for its air services licence and has yet to secure its AOC. As such, it is planning to begin commercial operations in 2019 out of Hanoi Noi Bai International serving domestic Vietnamese destinations initially before expanding into other Northeast Asian markets such as China, Korea, and Japan.