Story ID: 
Airbus A330neo MOU Cements VietJet’s Long-haul Aspirations
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Deal calls for first delivery of the widebodies in 2026
Word Count: 253
VietJet Air signaled its intention to expand into long-haul markets with the signing at the Singapore Airshow on Thursday of an MOU for 20 Airbus A330-900neos. Appearing at a press briefing at the show, VietJet Air CEO Dinh Viet Phuong told reporters that the airline would convert the MOU to a firm order within the next few weeks, marking its first-ever widebody order and the next step in a plan to expand its sphere of influence well beyond the Asia-Pacific region and into Europe and even the U.S.  
VietJet Air expects delivery of its first A330neo in 2026. Dr. Phuong expressed appreciation for Airbus’s ability to offer relatively early production slots. Also appearing in Singapore, Airbus vice president of sales for commercial Benoît de Saint-Exupéry noted the sides reached the terms of the MOU over the last few days at the air show and stressed the need to “move quickly” to ensure no slippage of the 2026 delivery schedule. 
Launched in 2011, VietJet Air plans to replace its leased A330-300s with the A330neos, as it executes a plan to add Boeing 737 Max jets slated to fly for its Thai subsidiary. Plans called for delivery of the first Max jets this year following a roughly year-long delay due to production problems at Boeing’s narrowbody plant in Renton, Washington. Most of Vietjet’s fleet consists of A320-family jets, and the airline now flies about 80 of the Airbus narrowbodies.