The event takes place within the framework of the official visit to the French Republic and attending the Space Summit from September 10 to 12 of General Secretary and President To Lam, along with his wife and high-level Vietnamese delegation.
Vietravel Airlines will purchase 50 Airbus aircraft, including 20 A220 aircraft and 30 A321 aircraft, expected to include A321neo and A321XLR versions, to serve the airline's medium and long-term development strategy. The handover phases are expected to begin in 2029.
The simultaneous selection of A220 and A321 reflects Vietravel Airlines' long-term flight network development vision. In which, A220 plays a strategic role in the "open market" orientation, creating conditions for Vietravel Airlines to pioneer the formation of new direct air connections to cities and areas that previously did not have regular direct flights or limited air access. With an appropriate operating scale, A220 allows the airline to gradually create and nurture the market; while A321 meets flight routes with higher demand and creates room to expand the operating range to longer international routes.
Specifically, the A220 is the latest generation of narrow-body commercial aircraft, developed by Airbus on a completely new (clean-sheet) design platform for the up to 160-seat segment, combining optimal aerodynamics, advanced materials and new generation engine technology. This aircraft line helps reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per seat by about 25% compared to the previous generation of aircraft, thereby improving operational efficiency, reducing environmental impact and contributing to promoting the trend of sustainable aviation development.
A220 brings a more comfortable cabin experience thanks to the configuration of 2-3 seats per row, thereby reducing the number of seats in the middle; along with wide seats, large windows and a wide carry-on luggage compartment in the segment. Optimized cabin space makes the journey more comfortable and convenient, while the flight range is about 6,300-6,700 km depending on the version, creating more direct connection to many new destinations, shortening the journey and limiting the need for connecting flights.
In a broader scope, the development of new aviation connections will expand access between markets, shorten travel time and increase passenger and cargo traffic. Thereby, the new fleet will not only help improve operational efficiency but also create more motivation for market connections, promote trade, tourism, investment and make positive contributions to socio-economic development at destinations.
Meanwhile, the A321neo can accommodate up to about 240 seats depending on the configuration and has a maximum flight range of about 7,400 km; the A321XLR version has a flight range of about 8,700 km. The A321 line is suitable for routes with high demand and creates more room to develop long-range international routes. Based on the expected fleet, Vietravel Airlines is oriented to gradually expand its international operating space from Asia to South Asia, Central Asia and some Middle Eastern markets, in line with the fleet capacity and the strategy of developing new connectivity networks.
The plan to add 50 Airbus aircraft is the next step in Vietravel Airlines' transformation roadmap since the airline joined the T&T Group ecosystem at the end of 2024. From consolidating resources and gradually increasing the proportion of aircraft owned - starting with the first Airbus A321 in June 2025 - Vietravel Airlines is moving to the stage of planning a long-term fleet, expanding the flight network and improving the level of proactiveness in operation.
Currently, Vietravel Airlines is developing a domestic flight network connecting key economic and tourist centers, while gradually realizing the strategy of expanding the international flight network with regular routes to Bangkok (Thailand) and Shenzhen (China). Along with the plan to continue to add aircraft in the second half of 2026, the airline plans to increase the operating scale to about 80 - 90 flights/day, in parallel with expanding connectivity to many new destinations in the country and internationally.
In the infrastructure - logistics - aviation ecosystem that T&T Group is gradually building, Vietravel Airlines is a component in the strategy to strengthen connectivity between economic centers and destinations. The connection of resources, infrastructure, logistics and services creates more room for the airline to develop passenger and freight transport and build a long-term growth platform, instead of simply expanding the scale of the fleet.
