Vietnam Airlines signs deal to buy 50 narrow-body aircraft

While Hoa initially did not name the manufacturer, documents released at the shareholder meeting confirmed that the Vietnamese flag carrier had finalized negotiations and signed a deal with Boeing to acquire 50 Boeing 737-8 aircraft.

The project was approved at an extraordinary shareholder meeting held in mid-May, with a total investment of approximately US$3.6 billion (VND92.4 trillion), including 10 spare engines.

As per the delivery timeline, the national carrier will receive 14 aircraft by 2030, followed by 18 more in both 2031 and 2032.

Hoa said that although the carrier had hoped for an earlier delivery, this schedule is acceptable under current global conditions.

In addition to its narrow-body fleet expansion, Vietnam Airlines is also planning to upgrade and grow its wide-body aircraft fleet, currently comprising 31 Boeing 787s and Airbus A350s.

The airline anticipates needing at least 50 wide-body jets by 2035, including 20 for lease replacement and 30 for expanding international routes.

Aside from offering passenger services, the carrier is intensifying its cargo operations.

It plans to deploy dedicated freighters and invest in logistics hubs at Long Thanh International Airport in southern Dong Nai Province and potentially at Gia Binh Airport in northern Bac Ninh Province.

Vietnam Airlines reported its strongest financial performance ever in 2024, with consolidated revenue of VND112.8 trillion ($4.3 billion) and an after-tax profit of VND7.96 trillion ($305 million).

The airline targets carrying 25.4 million passengers and 346,000 metric tons of cargo in 2025, up 11.6 percent and 11.5 percent year on year, respectively.

It also looks to earn VND116.7 trillion ($4.5 billion) in consolidated revenue this year, improving 3.5 percent against the 2024 figure.

Vietnam Airlines’ network has fully recovered after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first half of 2025, the airline launched five new international routes to Beijing, Bangkok, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Busan.

It also resumed services on four key routes to Moscow, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong.

Two more long-haul routes linking Vietnam with Milan and Copenhagen will commence in July and December, respectively.