Vietravel Airlines Signs for 50 Airbus Jets, Ten Times the Size of Its Current Fleet

On September 10, 2026, Vietnamese carrier Vietravel Airlines signed an agreement with Airbus for 50 new jets: 20 A220s and 30 aircraft from the A321 family, including the A321neo and the long-range A321XLR. Deliveries are expected to start in 2029.

The deal was signed at the Élysée Palace in Paris during Vietnamese leader To Lam’s official visit to France, with French President Emmanuel Macron present. Vietnam Airlines signed a separate memorandum of understanding at the same event for five A350-900 widebodies.

A letter of intent, not yet a firm order

Some coverage described the Vietravel agreement as an order. An Airbus spokesperson told ch-aviation that it is a signed letter of intent, adding that Airbus looks forward to “finalising the contracts.”

The difference matters. A letter of intent sets out what an airline plans to buy, while a firm order comes with a signed purchase agreement, and only firm orders go into Airbus’s official order book. Neither side disclosed the value of the deal or how the 30 A321s will split between the neo and the XLR.

The agreement was signed for the airline by Do Quang Hien, founder and executive chairman of T&T Group, and Do Vinh Quang, the group’s vice chairman and chairman of Vietravel Airlines, according to VietNamNet. Wouter van Wersch, chairman of Airbus International, signed for Airbus.

A small airline with a big plan

Vietravel Airlines began commercial flights in 2021 and became part of the privately owned T&T Group at the end of 2024. It flies five aircraft today, one A320-200 and four A321-200s, according to ch-aviation fleet data, so the agreement would multiply its fleet tenfold.

The airline currently flies domestic routes plus international services to Bangkok and Shenzhen. It is targeting 80 to 90 daily flights in the second half of 2026, DTiNews reported, with expansion planned toward South Asia, Central Asia and selected Middle Eastern markets.

The two aircraft types split that job. The Airbus A220 seats up to about 160 passengers and is meant to open direct routes to cities with little or no regular service, while the A321s, with up to 240 seats, go on busier routes.

Range is what makes the long-haul plan possible. VietNamNet puts the A220 at roughly 3,900 to 4,200 miles (6,300 to 6,700 km), the A321neo at about 4,600 miles (7,400 km), and the A321XLR at about 5,400 miles (8,700 km). Those ranges put Central Asia and the Middle East within nonstop reach of a single-aisle jet from Vietnam.

Why the jets will not arrive until 2029

A 2029 start reflects how full Airbus’s production lines are. The planemaker had delivered 475 aircraft through August, according to its own figures, and is already struggling to hit this year’s delivery target because of engine shortages.

Vietnam Airlines is planning even further out. Its five A350-900s are scheduled for 2033 and 2034, and the airline has named the acquisition of 30 widebodies beyond 2030 as a strategic priority, AeroTime reported. The flag carrier already flies 14 A350-900s and 16 Boeing 787s.

The A350 memorandum follows a Boeing-heavy year for the flag carrier. Vietnam Airlines holds 50 firm orders for the 737 MAX 8 and in July added 19 more on lease, so the Paris deal keeps Airbus in its long-haul plans.