Vietnamian Bamboo Airways to Buy 10 Boeing at Trump-Kim Summit

HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam's Bamboo Airways will sign a deal with Boeing Co to buy 10 planes on the sidelines of the week's Trump-Kim summit, a senior airline official said on Sunday.

The carrier, which belongs to the FLC Group real estate and leisure company and made its first flights in January, placed an interim order last year for 20 Boeing 787 widebody aircraft valued at $ 5.6 billion. dollars at list price.

"We will sign an agreement with Boeing for the purchase of 10 additional Boeing 787s. This is different from the agreement signed earlier for 20 Boeing aircraft, "said the executive who declined to be named because of the confidentiality of the case.

"This means we will have ordered 30 Boeing 787. The agreement will be signed at the summit," said the executive.

"This is a firm order valued at nearly $ 3 billion," added the manager. Boeing has no immediate comment.

Bamboo currently operates 10 Airbus aircraft.

Bamboo wants to open routes to the United States after the US Federal Aviation Administration says Vietnam is complying with international aviation standards, which would allow Vietnamese carriers to go there for the first time. first time and share the code with US airlines.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will hold their second summit in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, on February 27-28.

Bamboo's first 787 is expected to arrive in the third quarter of 2020 and the airline is preparing to launch flights to the United States from late 2019 or early 2020 with leased jets, unless Boeing can deliver earlier, Trinh Van Quyet, president of Bamboo told Reuters. .

"The direct flights between Vietnam and the United States will not only boost tourism activities, but will also facilitate bilateral trade and investment," he said. "We receive considerable support from Boeing to deploy our flights to the United States"

Rivals Vietnam Airlines JSC and VietJet Aviation JSC also have the ambition to fly to the United States, although the latter carrier has not yet placed an order for large aircraft.

VietJet is also expected to sign a major contract with Boeing on the sidelines of the Trump-Kim summit, according to sources close to the case.

VietJet, although not state-owned, is increasingly resorting to state visits to present its main orders for balanced aircraft between Boeing and Airbus SE. He signed an agreement for the purchase of 100 Boeing 737 MAX narrow-body jet aircraft during former US President Barack Obama's visit to Hanoi in 2016.

The airline is expected to finalize next week a separate interim agreement reached at the Farnborough Air Show last year for the purchase of an additional 100 Boeing 737 MAXs worth almost $ 13 billion at list price, according to sources under anonymity.