Vietnam Airlines (VN, Hanoi Noi Bai International) has published a Request For Proposals (RFP) for the wet-lease of four aircraft for between two and three months, with a tentative start date of June 1, 2024, to meet peak summer demand.
No further details regarding the type of aircraft, number of seats, or other details were provided by the carrier. ch-aviation has reached out to Vietnam Airlines for comment.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows that Vietnam Airlines operates a fleet comprising 101 aircraft, including forty-six A321-200s, twenty A321-200Ns, fourteen A350-900s, six ATR72-500s (operated by subsidiary VASCO - Vietnam Air Services), four B787-10s, and eleven B787-9s.
A total of 22 aircraft are currently inactive, including nine A321neo due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues, which encompass about 20% of the carrier’s fleet and could be out of service for up to 300 days, CEO Le Hong Ha told local media recently.
Furthermore, Viet Nam’s Ministry of Transport urged domestic carriers Vietnam Airlines, VietJetAir, and Bamboo Airways to prepare fleet backup plans to limit any delays and cancellations, improve service quality, and operate within the legal framework. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has already said that the country's airlines are currently facing a severe shortage of aircraft, noting that 42 aircraft will be taken out of service this year for engine inspections.
