Airbus - From strategic partner to technology bridge with Vietnam

Photo caption — Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang and his delegation visited Airbus product models in Toulouse city.

After more than three decades of cooperation, the relationship has gone beyond commercial aircraft orders to become a comprehensive partnership model in the high-tech era.

For Vietnamese people, Airbus is not a strange name. For more than 30 years, this multinational corporation has been a long-term partner of Vietnamese agencies and enterprises. Currently, there are more than 200 Airbus aircraft operated by Vietnamese airlines, accounting for 65% of the aircraft market share in this country.

Speaking to a VNA reporter in France, Mr. Joseph Debacq, Director of the Airbus Air and Space Exhibition Center, said that Vietnam Airlines has written a proud page in history by becoming the second airline in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to operate the A350 aircraft. As the person in charge of delivering the first A350 aircraft to Vietnam Airlines in June 2015, he recalled the event 10 years ago: "It was the result of 4 years of cooperation between the Airbus team and the Vietnam Airlines team, demonstrating high expertise, passion for this type of aircraft and excellent spirit of cooperation." Currently, Vietnam Airlines is operating 14 A350 aircraft, serving more than 30 destinations in the world with the ability to fly long distances to Europe and the US. What is special is that after 10 years of operation, Vietnam Airlines' A350 aircraft has been continuously improved in fuel efficiency and flight range, demonstrating Airbus's commitment to continuous product development.

Not only Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air is also proud to be a global strategic customer of Airbus. This low-cost airline group has made history by becoming the world's largest customer of the A330neo family with a total of 40 aircraft on order, of which 20 were added during the recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Vietnam. According to Mr. Marcellin Buisson, representative of the Airbus Wide-Body Aircraft Market Development Department, the A330neo was chosen by VietJet not only because of its superior performance, saving 14% fuel compared to the previous generation, but also because of its perfect flexibility for the airline's flight network. This aircraft can effectively serve regional routes such as Vietnam-Japan, Vietnam-Korea, Vietnam-China with distances from 3,000 to 5,000 nautical miles. The important point is its high compatibility with VietJet's existing A320 fleet. "There is a high degree of commonality between the A330neo and the A321 in the cockpit area, making it easy for pilots and flight attendants to switch between aircraft types," explained an Airbus representative. In addition, VietJet also signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase 100 more A321 aircraft, affirming its position as a strategic partner in the future. Two other airlines, Bamboo Airways and VietTravel Airlines, also use this Airbus aircraft model to expand their flight networks.

Apart from commercial aviation, Airbus and Vietnam have a long history of cooperation in the space sector. Since 2013, Airbus and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) have jointly launched the VNREDSat-1 satellite, which is still in orbit, marking a new chapter in space cooperation between the two sides. This project not only provides high-quality satellite imagery for disaster management and resource monitoring, but also enhances the capacity of Vietnamese engineers through training and technology transfer. Mr. Guilhem Boltz from Airbus's Space and Defense Systems division emphasized: "We have a long history of cooperation in the space sector with VAST. Recently, there have been many discussions and commitments signed between France and Vietnam to deepen this partnership. Vietnam is a country that always has the ambition to pioneer technology, and we are honored to accompany Vietnam in this process."

He also added that the VNREDSat-2 project, which is about to be implemented, will not only be limited to providing satellites to further enhance Vietnam's Earth observation capabilities, but will also expand bilateral cooperation in the fields of engineering training and technology transfer, to help Vietnam realize its ambitions in the space sector, an increasingly important field in civilized and complex societies. In particular, this bilateral cooperation also demonstrates a positive two-way relationship: "We will manufacture products to serve Vietnam, but will also learn how Vietnam exploits data from satellites, because the important thing is not just launching satellites, but effectively exploiting the information that satellites provide."

According to Mr. Guilhem Boltz, there are many opportunities between the two countries to build new bridges and jointly open new directions in the future. "Today, space can bring a huge amount of information about planet Earth, and if exploited properly, the potential of this data source will be even greater. Therefore, Airbus, VAST, CNES (French Space Agency) and the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam will work together to improve the quality of life for everyone, both in Europe and in Vietnam." The defense sector also opens up new opportunities for cooperation. The Memorandum of Understanding on the NH90 helicopter was signed during President E. Macron's visit to Hanoi, while the C295 transport aircraft is operating effectively in Vietnam. "Currently, I cannot provide more specific details, especially in the defense sector, but I am sure that we can do a lot in the future," Mr. Guilhem Boltz shared.

In the context of increasing trade competition, Vietnam is becoming an important link in Airbus's global supply chain and technology transfer. Sharing with VNA reporters in France, Mr. Stefan Schaffrath, in charge of communications of the group, said that Airbus is cooperating with a Japanese partner to produce Over-wing door aircraft components in Vietnam. Since 2023, Vietnam has produced emergency exit doors on the wings of A321 aircraft. With more than 7,000 A320 Family products on the order list, of which 70% are A321, this scale of cooperation demonstrates the strategic importance of Vietnam. Production in Vietnam not only helps Airbus increase production capacity, but also ensures flexibility in the global supply chain, helping to reduce implementation time and increase production capacity of the world's best-selling A320 aircraft.

Recently, during the official visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the French Republic, Airbus also signed a new supply contract with the leading information technology service provider in Vietnam, FPT Corporation, to support the Skywise program in the Asia-Pacific region, opening up a new direction of cooperation in the fields of digitalization and big data.

In addition, Airbus is also promoting training cooperation and technology transfer programs with Vietnam. "This topic is also very important because to operate hundreds of Airbus aircraft, it is necessary to have a technical team to maintain and keep the aircraft operating safely. Therefore, we are investing heavily in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capacity in Vietnam, together with Vietnamese partners, and at the same time attracting young talents to serve our product lines such as aircraft, helicopters, satellites...", Mr. Stefan Schaffrath emphasized.

The relationship between Airbus and Vietnam has evolved from a simple sales relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. From Vietnam Airlines’ first A350s to VietJet becoming the world’s largest customer for the A330neo, from the VNREDSat-1 satellite to the ambition to develop an autonomous space industry, the relationship has become a model for successful public-private cooperation. “We are proud that the relationship between Airbus and Vietnam has lasted for more than 30 years and encompasses all areas of our business. This relationship has not only stopped at supplying aircraft but has developed into a multi-dimensional strategic partnership,” said Stefan Schaffrath.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, during his recent visit and work at Airbus headquarters, also affirmed the important role of Airbus in aviation and space cooperation with Vietnam, and expressed hope that in the coming time, along with the cooperation agreements that Airbus has signed with Vietnamese partners, the two sides will have larger and more effective cooperation programs to be able to bring aerospace technologies to Vietnam, serving the country's development in the coming time.

Vietnam is aiming to become a modern industrialized country by 2045. Airbus’ partnership in the fields of aviation, space and high technology will play a key role. This is not just a story about aircraft or satellites, but about building technology bridges, transferring knowledge and developing high-quality human resources for the future. The past four decades are just the beginning. With a solid foundation built, Airbus’ relationship with Vietnam promises to continue to fly higher and further in the coming decades.

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/doanh-nhan/airbus-tu-doi-tac-chien-luoc-den-cau-noi-cong-nghe-voi-viet-nam/20250628100903850