Vietnamese budget carrier VietJet is set to take delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX this Sunday, more than nine years after placing its initial order, according to company and government documents.
The handover ceremony will be held at Boeing’s factory in Seattle and attended by Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong, who will later travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
VietJet first ordered 100 Boeing 737 MAX jets in 2016 and doubled the pledge in 2018, but deliveries were delayed due to the global grounding of the aircraft and the pandemic. The airline’s fleet currently consists almost entirely of Airbus planes, apart from a short-term lease of two COMAC regional jets.
The first delivery comes as Vietnam negotiates with Washington over tariffs. VietJet has also signed agreements worth nearly $50 billion with U.S. companies this year, part of Hanoi’s broader effort to reduce its trade surplus with the U.S.
A second Boeing aircraft could be delivered in October, sources told Reuters. Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has also shown interest in adding more Boeing jets, though Airbus continues to dominate Vietnam’s aviation market.
