Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways has started Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flights, after receiving the first aircraft of this type in December.
First commercial flights are being carried out on the country’s busiest domestic route: Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City. The airline plans to launch long-haul routes in the future, including to the United States, which will be operated by its 787-9 fleet. Bamboo Airways placed an order for another ten aircraft of this type in Feburary 2019, bringing its total orders for the Dreamliner to 30.
Its first Boeing 787-9, registered as VN-A819, arrived in Vietnam on December 22nd. Bamboo Airways configures this type with a total of 292 seats. The company says it is the first privately-owned airline in Vietnam to operate wide body airplanes.
The aircraft was initially intended to be delivered to Chinese Hainan Airlines, which is part of the financially struggling HNA Group, but was not taken up. Instead, the Vietnamese carrier signed a leasing deal for this 787.
Bamboo Airways launched operations in 2019, after receiving its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in January. It is owned and funded by Hanoi-based construction and real estate company FLC Group.
Besides the newly added Boeing jet, the airline operates almost two dozen Airbus A320 family aircraft. These consist of used A319 and A320, as well as new A320neo and A321neo.
Jakob Wert is an aviation journalist from Germany. He built up the website IFN.news and is the Editor-In-Chief of International Flight Network.
