Vietnam Airlines planning to buy 18 Airbus jets
Posted: 16 June 2009 0059 hrs

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LE BOURGET, France : Vietnam Airlines is planning to buy two long-haul Airbus A350 jets and 16 medium-haul A321s, the airline's chairman told AFP on Monday at the Paris Air Show.

The catalogue price for the jets is 1.9 billion dollars (1.4 billion euros).

"We are going to sign a memorandum of understanding this week during the air show," said Nguyen Sy Hung, chairman of Vietnam Airlines.

Also on Monday, the airline signed a contract with European aircraft maker ATR to buy two ATR 72-500 turbo-prop passenger planes for 41 million euros.

Vietnam Airlines is in the process of renewing its fleet and put in orders for 30 Airbus jets in 2007. The airline has a fleet of 50 planes and carries nine million passengers a year. - AFP/de