Vietjet Air is planning to induct as many as six more Airbus A330-300s into its fleet as it readjusts its long-haul network to meet newfound demand and markets.
The LCC already operates a pair of the widebody aircraft on routes to South Korea and Japan. Vietjet commercial director Jay Lingeswara says the next phase is to add the major cities in Australia, followed by the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
The carrier initially wanted to introduce flights to Moscow in early 2022, although that was put on hold after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“We will take several A330s this year, although it will also take into account readiness of resources such as pilot training and simulator time,” Lingeswara said at Routes Asia 2022. The airline previously announced a commitment for three A330s.
“We are looking at least three to six more aircraft, or maybe less. But our priority is to resume all international pre-COVID network and open new markets like India.”
Vietjet has launched new nonstop services from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Mumbai, and hopes to introduce similar Indian service from Da Nang and Phu Quoc. Lingeswara added that Indonesia is also another "hidden gem" that the carrier will explore and hopes to add more connections to on top of its Ho Chi Mini City-Bali route.
To further strengthen its network connectivity, he revealed that Vietjet is currently in interline discussions with full-service carriers and LCCs in India, Japan, Taiwan and the US. It already has interline agreements with Qatar Airways and Japan Airlines.
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