Vietjet Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo (front, 2nd left), Vietjet CEO Đinh Việt Phương (front, 1st left) and Olivier Andries President and CEO of Safran (front, 2nd right), Gael Meheust President and CEO of CFM (front, 1st right), sign the agreement in the presence of Việt Nam’s General Secretary and President Tô Lâm (back, left), and French President Emmanuel Macron (back, right) — Photo courtesy of Vietjet

PARIS — Vietjet and CFM International have reaffirmed the commitment for the supply of more than 400 LEAP-1B engines and technical engine services to power the airline’s narrow-body fleet, with estimated total value at US$8 billion.

The signing ceremony which took place on Monday in Paris was witnessed by Việt Nam’s General Secretary and President Tô Lâm, and French President Emmanuel Macron, along with high-level delegations from both countries.

The engines are from two orders previously announced in 2016 and 2018 and the aircraft are scheduled to begin delivery in 2025, Vietjet said in a statement.

Vietjet Air has been a longstanding customer of CFM, a joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace. The airline is currently operating 56 Airbus A321ceo and 17 A320ceo aircraft equipped with CFM56-5B engines.

The agreement will bring the relationship with CFM to another level as the industry-leading expertise of Safran and CFM will deliver breakthrough technological products to Vietjet, according to the airline.

The carrier added that the future introduction of the LEAP engine meets the airline’s sustainable growth strategy and will enable it to optimise the operating costs on fuel efficient aircraft, while offering its customers the best flying experience.

“For more than a decade, we have worked closely with Vietjet to introduce support programmes in terms of technical management, training, and fuel efficiency improvements for its CFM56 fleet and look forward to now extending these practices to the new LEAP-1B engines,” said Gael Meheust, President and CEO of CFM International.

“We welcome this opportunity to further strengthening this year special relationship well into the future,” he said.

Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, Chairwoman of Vietjet, said: “World-leading engine manufacturers like Safran and CFM have worked alongside Vietjet to provide affordable air travel for millions of people, driving growth in the dynamic Asia-Pacific aviation market, including Việt Nam."

"Today’s agreement for fuel-efficient engines reinforces our commitment to sustainability," Thảo said.

The CFM LEAP engine family delivers 15 to 20 per cent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as well as a significant improvement in noise, compared to previous generation engines.

With more than 3,500 LEAP-powered aircraft in service, the engine has allowed CFM customers to save more than 35 million tons of CO2 emissions. The engine has been the most successful new product introduction in CFM’s 50-year history, with the fastest ever ramp-up of engine flight hours in the industry – surpassing 60 million hours in just eight years. — VNS