Bangkok, May 26 (EFE).- Vietnamese low-cost airline VietJet Air signed an agreement this Monday with the European giant Airbus to acquire 20 wide-body A330-900neo aircraft, within the framework of the visit to Hanoi by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who is on a tour of Southeast Asia.
VietJet President Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao signed the agreement in Hanoi with Airbus International President Wouter van Wersch, who is traveling with Macron as part of the delegation accompanying the president on his trip to defend the French strategy on the Indo-Pacific and explore trade and energy agreements.
Both Macron and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong witnessed the signing of the purchase agreement with which VietJet seeks, as explained by Airbus in a statement, to boost its strategic expansion over the next decade.
The incorporation of 20 new A330-900neo aircraft will allow VietJet to boost its international expansion and increase flights on high-capacity routes in the Asia-Pacific region, where the International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts that the number of passengers will increase by 7.9% in 2025, the largest increase in the world.
Vietjet currently operates an all-Airbus fleet consisting of 115 single-aisle A320 Family aircraft - of which it plans to incorporate 96 soon - and seven A330-300s.
The new order for A330-900neo adds to a previous order of the same quantity and model, with latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and a non-stop flight capacity of 7,200 nautical miles (13,300 kilometers).
Macron, along with his wife, Brigitte Macron, is on a tour of Southeast Asia which, after Vietnam, will take them to Indonesia and Singapore.