Bamboo Airways becomes Vietnam’s first private airline to operate a wide-body aircraft

The welcoming ceremony of Bamboo Airways’ first Boeing787-9 Dreamliner at Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh province

The first flight from Hanoi to Van Don International Airport in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh took wings with this aircraft.

Among the most modern members of the 787 family, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner can carry about 294 passengers for 13,950km. This is an aircraft that has more seats arranged than the 787-8 (248 seats) and has a longer range than the 787-10 (11,750km).

It is also the world's most fuel-efficient modern aircraft with high levels of safety and durability, which can reduce noise and emissions. Compared to similar aircraft, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner consumes 20 per cent less fuel and has 30-40 per cent less maintenance costs.

Because of the above reasons, Bamboo Airways regards the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as the aircraft model that plays a key role in the future operation of the airline’s medium- and long-haul routes to Asia, Europe, and America in 2020.

“Bamboo Airways has produced remarkable growth since it started operations nearly one year ago. The airline is positioned to become a key player in serving the rapidly-rising Vietnamese market and achieve its long-range plans to connect Asia with Europe, North America, and beyond,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing of The Boeing Company.

“We are honoured that they have selected the innovative 787 Dreamliner for its long-haul expansion. The Dreamliners will bring the perfect combination of efficiency and flexibility for Bamboo Airways to serve new point-to-point regional and international destinations,” he added.

Representatives of Bamboo Airways and Boeing cut the ribbon to celebrate the event Bamboo Airways becoming the first private airline in Vietnam to operate a wide-body aircraft

Named after “Ha Long Bay” – a world-famous natural heritage of Vietnam – the first wide-body aircraft of Bamboo Airways marks the arrival of a series of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. It is expected that by January 2020, Bamboo Airways will operate four aircraft of the model.

“Ha Long Bay” will be exploited by Bamboo Airways on the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi-Phu Quoc routes from the beginning of January 2020 to meet the increasing travel demand in the coming 2020 Lunar New Year holiday.

In the afternoon of December 22, in order to provide an insight into the aviation market’s development together with in-depth information and overview of Bamboo Airways and its prospects, the airline organised the Welcoming Ceremony of Bamboo Airways’ First Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at the International Convention Centre of FLC Halong Bay Golf Club and Luxury Resort in Halong city, Quang Ninh province.

Present were leaders of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, leaders of Bamboo Airways, leaders of securities and finance companies, aviation experts, and business partners, among others.

About 20,000 safe flights with the highest on-time performance rate in the industry

Bamboo Airways receiving the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is the most recent milestone of the carrier after nearly one year of launch with numerous impressive achievements.

Starting to operate the first commercial flights in January 2019, Bamboo Airways now operates 34 domestic and international routes and is rapidly expanding its network. The airline's fleet is expected to reach 30 aircraft by January 2020, including modern aircraft such as Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A321neo.

Bamboo Airways’ first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was named after "Ha Long Bay"

As of now, Bamboo Airways has exploited nearly 20,000 absolute safe flights, transported more than two million passengers with the average on-time performance rate of 94 per cent – the highest rate in the aviation industry of Vietnam over the first 11 months of 2019.

In terms of service quality, Bamboo Airways was voted as one of the 100 most trusted product and service providers by consumers in 2019. The carrier also won the title of Airline with Best Service in the tourism, resort, and real estate field.

“Despite operating for only less than a year, Bamboo Airways has carried a record number of passengers compared to its fleet size. As revealed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, Bamboo Airways has opened many domestic routes, including many completely new ones within just a short period of time, which makes the airline a pioneer in the journey of expanding Vietnamese air routes,” said deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam in the launching event.

IPO, market expansion, and opening new routes in 2020

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Uong Chu Luu acknowledged the outstanding accomplishments of the airline after less than a year of launch and its contributions to the overall development of the Vietnamese aviation industry. These include the highest on-time performance rate in the entire domestic aviation industry, transporting millions of passengers, operating safe flights and receiving many compliments from customers for the quality of service.

The establishment of new airlines such as Bamboo Airways, according to the NA vice chairman, has enabled Vietnam's aviation market to flourish with the ceaseless development of service quality that enormously benefits customers.

Meanwhile, deputy general director of Bamboo Airways Eddy Doyle said that Bamboo Airways' fleet is expected to reach 100 aircraft by 2025 to transport 50 million passengers a year.

“From these solid platforms, Bamboo Airways is accelerating towards the target of acquiring 30 per cent of the domestic aviation market by 2020, expanding the network to 85 routes by 2020, including 60 domestic and 25 international routes. At the same time, we are focusing on the co-operation with the world's leading partners in the field of aviation technology and training to further improve the overall quality of service,” he emphasised.

The carrier has attracted the attention of a large number of domestic and foreign investors after drawing up a roadmap to undertake its IPO in 2020, with the expected market capitalisation hitting $1 billion after listing. Bamboo Airways plans to carry out the IPO under the stock ticker “BAV” with the estimated starting price of VND60,000 ($2.6) per share.

Bamboo Airways is choosing potential and experienced strategic investors, especially those coming from the US, Japan, and Europe, with the price no less than VND160,000 ($6.9) per share.