Vietjet, Vietnam’s biggest private airline, finalized a $6.5 billion agreement on Friday to buy 50 Airbus A321neo jets. The deal was signed in Hanoi by Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vietjet founder and CEO, and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer. Nguyen, 48, is one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and the only self-made female billionaire in all of Southeast Asia. Nguyen took the company public in early 2017, after a planning process of over 800 days, she said in an interview with Forbes Vietnam that year. About 30% of Vietjet’s 17 million customers were first-time flyers, Nguyen told Forbes Vietnam, explaining that customers give it a try because of the airline’s lower prices.

Source: Forbes November 02, 2018 22:41 UTC