HCM CITY — The new-age carrier, Vietjet, has become the first airline in Southeast Asia to receive the delivery of an A321neo (new engine option).

The Airbus aircraft landed at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport from Hamburg, Germany, last week.

The A321neo, registered as VN-646, is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation GTF engines. It is also the 17th aircraft to be delivered to Vietjet from Airbus in 2017.

Fitted with 230 comfortable, leather seats and high-quality carpeting, the first five rows of Vietjet’s spacious, new A321neo have been especially designed to accommodate passengers flying Skyboss, the airline’s premium service. The aircraft’s interior also features a unique colour-changing LED light system and striking décor to create a comfortable and refreshing ambience through the whole cabin.

According to the aircraft manufacturer, its GTF engines offer a significant reduction in fuel consumption — at least 16 per cent from day one and 20 per cent by 2020 — as well as 75 per cent reduction in noise and 50 per cent in emissions. The engines were first introduced by Pratt & Whitney in 2016. Vietjet is one of the very first airlines in the world to incorporate the engines into its aircraft.

The new aircraft will begin operating on domestic and international routes to and from Việt Nam in January 2018.

On this occasion, Vietjet also announced its decision to upgrade an existing order for 42 A320neo aircraft to the superior and larger A321neo models. Accordingly, the airline now has a total of 73 A321neo and 11 A321ceo on order for future delivery.

“The A321neo combines a higher capacity with the lowest operating costs in its class, offering unbeatable efficiency. This aircraft will be a real asset in Vietjet’s expansion plans in such a competitive market,” Fabrice Bregier, Airbus Chief Operating Officer cum President of Commercial Aircraft, said.

“The A320 family aircraft has greatly contributed to Vietjet’s impressive operation performance, with the airline’s technical reliability rate standing at 99.6 per cent in 2017. The aircraft have also helped us maintain some of the lowest operating costs in the airline world,” said Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, Vietjet President and CEO.

“The upgraded A321neo deal once again emphasises Vietjet’s ceaseless efforts to modernise our fleet. We believe that the technical reliability rate and other operation and safety indexes will continue to go up in order to bring maximum comfort, joy and safety to our valued passengers,” she said. — VNS