Vietnam Airlines inks deal with Taiwan bank

HA NOI (VNS)— Vietnam Airlines yesterday signed an agreement with Cathay United Bank (CUB) to receive a US$60 million financing deal to buy a new Airbus A321 aircraft from French manufacturer Airbus.

Accordingly, the Taipei-based bank has worked with four other Taiwanese banks to arrange the loan for Vietnam Airlines' purchase of the Airbus A321, expected to be delivered this month.

Meanwhile, according to Vietnam Airlines President and CEO Pham Ngoc Minh, the carrier had signed a contract with Airbus for the delivery of 26 units of A321 aircraft during the 2011-15 period.

This would support Vietnam Airlines in expanding the fleet, he said. "We hope to ensure our partnership with Cathay United Bank is one of long-term growth."

Meanwhile, the bank's senior executive vice president Lee Wei Cheng said Vietnam Airlines had always been regarded as one of the most important partners.

"Vietnam Airlines is the only airline in the southeast Asian region to become a member of the global airlines alliance – SkyTeam," he said.

CUB in December also provided the Vietnamese carrier with a similar syndicated loan. CUB has been co-ordinating with PetroVietnam Finance Corporation to support the carrier in purchasing new engines for the A321 aircrafts and other financing projects. — VNS