VietJet buys $2.39b in Airbus planes

Vietnam budget carrier VietJet Aviation has signed a $2.39b order with Airbus Group SE to buy more than 20 A321 planes, the company said Tuesday, just a few months after signing an $11b deal to buy 100 planes from Boeing. The agreement, witnessed by French President François Hollande, who is visiting Vietnam, provides for the aircraft to be delivered between 2017 and 2020. The order underscores the rapid expansion of the budget carrier since it began operating in 2011. The country’s only privately owned carrier, VietJet is also set to become Vietnam’s largest carrier, eclipsing state-owned rival Vietnam Airlines, aviation analysts say. In addition to Tuesday’s announcement, VietJet agreed last year to buy 30 Airbus A321 planes for $3.6 billion. “VietJet is developing robustly and sustainably with an aim at better serving our passengers and promoting tourism and economic development in Vietnam and other regional countries,” said airline President and CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao.<br/>