On the occasion of the APEC 2017 and first official state visit to Vietnam by U.S. President Donald Trump, Vietjet (the parent company of Vietjet Thailand) and Pratt & Whitney, a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units, today announced the selection of the PurePower Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine to power the airline’s order of 10 new aircraft.
This deal, which is valued at USD600 million at list prices, includes a 12-year EngineWise™ Fleet Management Program for Vietjet’s 10 new-age aircraft. The two companies have so far reached a trade turnover of USD3.7 billion.
The signing took place in a ceremony in Hanoi and was attended by President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Trần Đại Quang and U.S. President Donald Trump, along with officials from Vietjet and Pratt & Whitney.
“We are delighted to add 10 additional GTF-powered new aircraft to our fleet. We look forward to the proven performance and environmental benefits that they deliver,” said Dinh Viet Phuong, Vietjet vice president.
Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent, regulated emissions by 50 percent and noise footprint by 75 percent.
“We were honored to celebrate a new relationship with VietJet last year, and we are thrilled to extend this relationship now and into the future,” said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney.
Since commencing operations in 2011, Vietjet, Vietnam’s largest domestic airline, has become the Asia Pacific’s fastest growing low-cost carrier. It has operated profitably since its second year of operation with over 73 domestic and international routes and technical reliability rate of 99.6%, the highest rate among the airlines in the region who operate the same aircraft model.
