Vietnam Airlines is about to receive another Boeing 787 aircraft.

Vietnam Airlines is expected to receive another wide-body Boeing 787-10 aircraft by the end of next month to increase its transport capacity amidst a shortage of aircraft in the aviation market.

According to a representative from Vietnam Airlines, this is the fifth Boeing 787-10 out of a total of eight aircraft under a lease-purchase agreement with the American manufacturer. This aircraft, with registration number VN-A878, is the 30th wide-body aircraft in the national airline's fleet.

This Boeing wide-body aircraft is over 68 meters long, has a commercial payload of 56-60 tons, and a maximum range of 11,910 km. The aircraft can carry up to 400 passengers, nearly double the capacity of narrow-body aircraft.

The arrival of the new aircraft will help the airline increase capacity to serve passengers during the upcoming peak summer season, in the context of a severe shortage of aircraft in the domestic market.

A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-10 aircraft is currently parked in South Carolina (USA), and is expected to return to Vietnam at the end of May. Photo: VNA

Currently, Vietnam Airlines has suspended operations of 9 narrow-body Airbus A321 aircraft due to engine removal for maintenance, and this number may increase in the near future. Due to supply chain disruptions, the number of engines requiring repair globally has reached thousands, meaning these key domestic aircraft may be grounded for up to a year.

Domestic airlines are also having to increase night and early morning flights due to a shortage of aircraft. Facing this difficulty, the national airline stated that it is proactively advancing scheduled aircraft maintenance and rearranging schedules to reduce aircraft turnaround time.

In the first quarter, each aircraft of this airline saw an average increase in daily operating time of 18%. Vietnam Airlines alone expects to add 40% more flights during peak summer hours.

At the same time, the airline is also accelerating the search for partners to wet-lease four aircraft (leasing both the aircraft and crew) for the upcoming summer peak season. In addition to discussions with Boeing for early delivery of the B787-10, Vietnam Airlines is also working with Airbus to potentially add more A320NEO aircraft. The airline expects to receive another Boeing 787-10 by the end of June.

Anh Tú

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