Vietjet signs MoU with Safran, finance deal with GECAS

Nguyen Thanh Hung – Vietjet’s Vice Chairman and Philippe Couteaux, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Safran Aircraft Engines and CFM are at the ceremony under the witness of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong  and other senior leaders (Photo: VNA)

Paris (VNA) - Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company and Safran Aircraft Engines on March 27 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on comprehensive collaboration under the witness of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Accordingly, Safran Aircraft Engines will support Vietjet with fleet management services, training, research & development programmes including fuel efficient usage, technical management and help in setting up regional – level support maintenance capabilities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Vietjet’s Deputy General Director Dinh Viet Phuong said: “Today agreement marks a new milestone in strategic partnership between Vietjet and Safran – CFM. We are convinced that new engines will improve our operation capability, which enables us to fulfill our long-term development strategy to global market and better our services. We also believe that the new agreement will contribute positively to the economic and trade exchange between Vietnam and France, and create more jobs for the two peoples.”

“We are very pleased to be an integral part of Vietjet Air’s long-term growth strategy,” added Philippe Couteaux, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Safran Aircraft Engines and CFM. “This MoU is in line with our recent commercial agreements with VietJet Air and also reflects the relationship of mutual trust between the airline and Safran Aircraft Engines and CFM. VietJet Air selected us because of our recognized expertise and experience in support services.”

While in France, Vietjet’s leaders also inked a finance agreement with GECAS France on purchasing and leasing six A321neo aircraft worth 800 million USD.

Vietjet is the first airline in Vietnam to operate as a new-age airline with low-cost and diversified services to meet customers’ demands. It provides not only transport services but also uses the latest e-commerce technologies to offer various products and services for consumers.

Vietjet is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. The airline was also named as one of the Top 500 Brands in Asia 2016 by global marketing research company Nielsen and the “Best Asian Low Cost Carrier” at the TTG Travel Awards 2015, which compiles votes from travelers, travel agencies and tour operators in throughout Asia and Asia’s Best Employer Brand by the Employer Branding Institute and World HRD Congress for many years. The airline was also rated as one of the top three fastest growing airline brands on Facebook in the world by Socialbakers.

Currently, the airline boasts a fleet of 55 aircraft, including A320s and A321s, and operates 385 flights each day. It has already transported more than 55 million passengers on a network featuring 82 routes in Vietnam and across the region to international destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia.                                                                       

Looking ahead, the airline plans to further expand its network across the Asia Pacific region. To prepare for this plan, Vietjet has signed agreements with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers to purchase more brand-new and modern aircraft.-VNA