On May 15, Airbus has received orders for twenty units of its A330-900 from an undisclosed customer. This brings the firm commitments for the A330neo to over 300.
While the customer has not been revealed by Airbus, it is believed that the order is the exercise of the option that Vietjet has signed with the manufacturer last February. If confirmed, this will be Vietjet’s first order of wide-body aircraft. The aircraft is expected to be deployed both on the airline’s long-haul network and high-capacity regional services, replacing the nine A330-300s currently operating under a leasing agreement.
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Upon signing the memorandum in February, Vietjet CEO Dinh Viet Phuong has stated that «the A330neo is a strategic addition to comprehensively modernize our fleet, improving operational capabilities to support our expansion plan.»
The only other order recorded in May, according to Airbus data, is from Nordic Aviation Capital for seven A321neo. This, apparently, is a conversion after reducing its order of twenty A220s –made in late 2019– to eight aircraft, all A220-300s.
The changes bring Airbus’s gross orders to 254, and net orders (after cancellations) to 237 in the first five months of this year. Additionally, the conglomerate has delivered 256 aircraft in the same period. These include seventeen A350s, ten A330s, and 229 single-aisle aircraft (21 A220s, 95 A320s, and 113 A321s, both neo).
