Binh Nguyen
Luu Duc Khanh, managing director of VietJetAir, is seen standing in the aisle of the Sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 aircraft which the domestic carrier takes delivery of in French city Toulouse on Tuesday - Photo: Courtesy of VietJetAir
The aircraft delivery took place while Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was paying an official visit to France on the occasion of the two nations’ celebrations of the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.
Luu Duc Khanh, managing director of VietJetAir, said in a statement that the Sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 aircraft was the carrier’s strategic decision as it enabled the airline to offer quality services to passengers and save much from fuel bills.
Put into service last year, the new Airbus allows airlines to cut fuel consumption by up to 4% and reduce some 1,000 tons of CO2 emissions per aircraft per year. With these aircraft, operators are flexible in either adding a range of 100 nautical miles or an increased payload capability of up to 450 kilograms.
Khanh said that VietJetAir became Vietnam’s first airline to operate Sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 aircraft and to join a list of few users of such a modern Airbus model in the region.
In April this year, the no-frills VietJetAir clinched an agreement with global aircraft leasing firm AWAS to lease Sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 aircraft for its domestic and international services. Both sides did not disclose the deal value.
Currently, VietJetAir operates nearly 500 weekly flights on 14 domestic and two international routes connecting Vietnam’s HCMC and Hanoi to Bangkok of Thailand. The second largest carrier in Vietnam after Vietnam Airlines plans to expand its network to Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
Just last weekend, VietJetAir announced that it had transported three million passengers after nearly two years it took off. The 3.000.000th passenger Duong Chau Toan with ticket code 9689540 for the HCMC-Bangkok route was awarded one year of free flying with the carrier’s flights on all its routes.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
