Vietnamese airlines plan to order 40 Airbus jets in deals worth an estimated $6.5 billion, the European planemaker said on Tuesday, as they expand their fleets for a small but fast-growing market. In deals announced at the start of a two-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation by French President Francois Hollande, Vietnam Airlines, the country's flagship carrier, reached a preliminary agreement for 10 A350 planes worth $3.1 billion. Budget airline Jetstar Pacific - controlled by Vietnam Airlines and 30 percent owned by Australia's Qantas Airways - finalised its order for 10 A320 single-aisle planes valued at about $1 billion. VietJet, the country's only private airline, placed a firm order for 20 A321s - worth $2.4 billion. The CAPA Centre for Aviation said in January that VietJet commands 40 percent of Vietnam's domestic market and it will likely surpass Vietnam Airlines this year as the country's biggest domestic carrier.

Source: Thanhnien News September 06, 2016 08:26 UTC