Low-budget carrier Vietjet Air inked a 3.04-billion-USD deal to purchase engines from US-based aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney on February 17. (Photo: Vietjet)
Hanoi (VNA) – Low-budget carrier Vietjet Air has signed a 3.04-billion-USD contract to purchase engines from US-based aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation.
The deal was closed at the ongoing Singapore Airshow 2016, Asia’s largest aerospace exhibition, in which Pratt & Whitney will supply the newest line of the PurePower Geared Turbofan engine to power the carrier’s order of 63 A320neo and A321neo aircraft.
Present at the signing ceremony on February 17 were Vice Minister of Transportation Nguyen Nhat and Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Nguyen Tien Minh.
“With advanced design that reduces fuel costs and CO2 emissions, the new engines are expected to boost the carrier’s efficiency, protect the environment and enable Vietjet to offer passengers more affordable airfares”, Vietjet’s President and CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao stated at the ceremony.
“We take great pride in Vietjet selecting the game-changing Geared Turbofan engines to power their aircraft fleet”, Rick Deurloo, Pratt & Whitney’s Senior Vice President, said.
Founded in 2007, Vietjet currently has a fleet of 34 aircraft, including A320s and A321s and operates about 200 flights daily.
The airline has to date carried 20 million passengers on 47 domestic and international routes to Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand and Myanmar.
Last year, it received a certificate of Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and was recognised as Best Asian Low Cost Carrier at the 26 th annual TTG Travel Awards.-VNA
