Big New Aircraft Order Coming

A big order for new aircraft is set to arrive sooner rather than later, with Airbus and Boeing pitching their jets.

The pitch is towards Vietnam Airlines, the national carrier of Vietnam, which has outlined its plans to add 30 new widebody aircraft to its fleet.

As part of the fresh commitment, the carrier is hopeful that it’ll be able to see deliveries for these new units between 2028 and 2030, but the decision on which aircraft will be selected has yet to be made.

Instead, a statement released to suppliers put forward the opportunity for these planemakers to offer their best deal to the Vietnamese carrier.

At this stage, there are two front-runners with the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 models being touted as the most likely options among all the aircraft that are available to the business.

Once delivered, a key reason for the order is Vietnam Airlines’ bid to increase its long-haul fleet while achieving greater modernisation as travel demand in the Asia-Pacific markets increases.

With that in mind, Vietnam Airlines feels that more aircraft would be beneficial to its day-to-day operation and allow for growth across the 2030s, with key markets only expected to see a rise in passenger activity.

How Vietnam Airlines goes about sourcing the new widebody planes remains unclear, with all options available, but a decision will need to come sooner rather than later.

Airlines have lately been purchasing aircraft at a rapid rate as they look to secure the remaining available delivery slots, which are being snapped up by global carriers who have the stability to purchase jets so far in advance.

As a result, available aircraft slots begin becoming scarce, and airlines are forced to head towards leasing companies to provide planes when they need them, but with backlogs so substantial and production rates not increasing at the required rate, even this avenue faces its pressures.

What Aircraft Does Vietnam Airlines Fly?

For Vietnam Airlines, the purchase of the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 as part of this latest desire to add 30 more widebody aircraft to its fleet comes as no surprise.

When analysing the carrier’s next-generation fleet, these two aircraft play an essential role in its day-to-day network.

At this point, available data shows the carrier has taken delivery of 17 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with 11 being for the 787-9 and 6 for the 787-10, the series averaging an age of 8.1 years.

Meanwhile, there also exist commitments for the A350-900, with 14 units delivered and 12 being active as of September 21, 2025, according to data, with the average age at 8.5 years.

Vietnam Airlines has been looking to overhaul its fleet, and this is evident in the adoption of the A320neo family, including the base model and the high-capacity A321neo.

However, the business believes that moving forward, there’s a requirement to increase its widebody aircraft flying and potentially develop two existing fleet types with additional units to boost demand in key markets and reach new, emerging ones as well.

With this proposal, Airbus and Boeing will now go to the drawing board with Vietnam Airlines and put forward their best option for new aircraft, with the business deciding on either the A350 or 787, or both.

Ultimately, whatever decision the Vietnamese carrier goes with will only strengthen its commitment to an existing series rather than opening a new can of worms through the purchase of a new aircraft type.