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Vietjet is set to receive its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft this Sunday, nearly a decade after placing its initial order. The formal handover will occur at Boeing Field, with Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong expected to attend as part of his visit to the United States for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
The Vietnamese low-cost airline signed an agreement in 2016 to purchase 100 Boeing 737 MAX planes, with original deliveries scheduled for 2019. However, delays were caused by the global grounding of the MAX following two fatal crashes in late 2018 and early 2019, complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently, tariffs imposed by the US government on Vietnam that created financing challenges.
This delivery marks Vietjet's first addition of a Boeing aircraft to its previously all-Airbus fleet. The carrier has committed to receiving a total of 100 high-density Boeing 737 MAX 8200 models—an expanded version of the MAX 8—as well as orders for both standard MAX 8s and stretched MAX 10s. According to Reuters, another aircraft is likely scheduled for delivery in October.
