Vietnam Airlines Plans to Purchase 5 Airbus A350-900 Widebody Aircraft

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 11, Vietnam Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to purchase 5 A350-900 widebody aircraft. This arrangement remains at the memorandum of understanding stage and has not yet been converted into a formal purchase contract; Vietnam Airlines will include these aircraft in its widebody fleet expansion plan for medium- to long-haul and international route operations.

Vietnam Airlines' existing widebody fleet includes the A350-900 and the Boeing 787 series. As of the end of 2025, the company operated 14 A350-900s, 11 Boeing 787-9s and 6 Boeing 787-10s, totaling 31 widebody aircraft; all 14 A350-900s are operated under leases. The A350-900 in service has a range of approximately 14,350 kilometers and can be configured with 305 or 323 seats depending on the cabin layout.

The company had previously launched the next phase of its widebody fleet expansion. In 2025, Vietnam Airlines solicited market proposals for up to 30 A350-900 or Boeing 787-9 widebody aircraft, with a proposed delivery window of 2028–2032, considering purchases, leases, subleases and other methods. In 2026, the company also launched a dry lease process for 12 A350-900, 787-9 or 787-10 widebody aircraft, planned for delivery in 2028–2030 with an 8-year lease term.

According to the fleet investment arrangements disclosed at Vietnam Airlines' 2026 shareholders' meeting, the company plans to invest in introducing another 20–30 widebody aircraft in 2031–2035, while supplementing capacity in 2028–2030 by leasing 12 widebody aircraft. The memorandum of understanding signed with Airbus for 5 A350-900s aligns with the above direction of widebody fleet expansion after 2030.

Vietnam Airlines regards widebody aircraft as the core type for long-haul routes, currently mainly serving routes to North America, Europe, Australia and Northeast Asia. The fleet plan previously published by the company estimates that by 2030 Vietnam Airlines JSC will require approximately 43 widebody aircraft, and will adjust fleet size according to actual market conditions.