Vietnam Airlines took delivery of the first of five A321s at ceremony involving the airlines President Mr Nguyen Xuan Hien in Hamburg today. The airline has been operating A320 family aircraft since 1993, but the A321 delivered today is the first aircraft directly ordered by the airline in a contract signed in October 2002. Vietnam Airlines currently operates a leased fleet of ten A320s and three A321s.

The A321 will enable Vietnam Airlines to continue to expand its network and to address the needs of a rapidly growing Vietnamese market, said Vietnam Airlines President Nguyen Xuan Hien. "We are confident that, with the additional aircraft, the Airbus Single Aisle Family will continue to play an important role in our fleet, and we look forward to a robust partnership between our two companies in the future. Furthermore, we are particularly proud to have contributed to the development of economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Europe."

The new Airbus aircraft will offer Vietnam Airlines the ability to further maximise profit potential while offering passengers the highest standards of in-flight comfort available today, said Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Nol Forgeard.

Widely accepted as the industry standard, the bestselling Airbus A320 Family comprises the 107-seat A318, 124-seat A319, 150-seat A320 and 185-seat A321. All of them share the same airframe only the fuselage lengths are different and the same cockpits, systems and engines, delivering unmatched operational commonality and savings to airlines.

Vietnam Airlines' selection of the A320 Family further reinforces the success of the aircraft as the preferred choice of airlines worldwide in the short to medium range segment, with over 3,100 total orders from more than 120 customers. The A320 Family has been especially successful in the Asia-Pacific, where it is in service with more than 20 airlines.

A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE Systems


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