Bamboo Airways held a ceremony on January 16 at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, attended by the Minister of Transport, to take delivery of an Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The ceremony marks the beginning of the new carrier’s plans to add new generation aircraft to its fleet over the next few months.

Rated the world’s most comfortable and fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft, the A321neo incorporates the latest engine technology with improved aerodynamics and cabins, reducing fuel consumption by 15 per cent per seat during the initial days and rising to 20 per cent by 2020.

The A321neo is configured in to 204 seats, divided into two separate classes, with eight business class seats and 196 economy class seats, making Bamboo Airways the second Vietnamese airline to cater to business class passengers. 

Mr. Dang Tat Thang, General Director of Bamboo Airways, said the investment in the A321neo aircraft is part of its strategy of developing a new generation fleet and provide quality services.

“This is also one of our important standards in building a high-end airline with quality five-star infrastructure,” he added. “Besides narrow-body aircraft such as the A321neo, Bamboo Airways will add wide-bodied aircraft to serve the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route and other international routes in the future.”

Its first commercial flight, departing from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, took off on January 16, marking the beginning of official operations.

Other flight routes include Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Quy Nhon, and Phu Quoc Island, with tickets starting from only VND149,000 ($6.3).

The official online booking website, www.bambooairways.com, opened on January 12 and received millions of visits in its first five hours, with over 8,000 tickets sold.

The Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City will have eight flights a day and account for 60 per cent of bookings.

The carrier plans to operate 37 routes this year, connecting all major cities and popular tourist destinations in Vietnam and internationally. It will conduct 60 domestic flights each day.

In subsequent years it will add international routes to Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. By 2023 it will open long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

From March to June 2018, the airline signed two agreements totaling $8.8 billion to purchase A321neo and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) officially granted an Aircraft Operator Certificate (AOC) to Bamboo Airways on January 8.

VN Economic Times