Vietnam Airlines Orders 50 Boeing 737-8 MAX Aircraft
A computer generated image of a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft.
Boeing 737 MAX picture courtesy: Boeing
Boeing announced a 50 aircraft order from Vietnam Airlines on September 11, 2023. Completed during a visit of US President Biden, Vietnam Airlines is an existing Boeing customer with a history that includes leased Boeing 767s in the 1990s and a current fleet of 15 787 Dreamliners.
The new 737-8 MAX aircraft order is for a model which Boeing claims will fly up to 3,500 nautical miles (6,480 km) and seat up to 210. Powered by LEAP-1B CFM International jet engines, a typical passenger configuration would be in the range of 162-178 seats in a two class configuration. Vietnam Airlines said they intend to operate the new fleet on both domestic and international routes.
The 737 MAX family of aircraft appears to be moving farther away from the stigma associated with two fatal accidents, one in 2018 and the other in 2019.
The first was Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, on October 29, 2018. The airplane crashed shortly after take-off from Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 aboard.
On March 10, 2019, another Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating as Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, took off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It also crashed very shortly after departure with the loss of all 157 aboard.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Boeing 737-8 MAX are the same aircraft type. Boeing has evolved the way they have described the aircraft over the life of the program.
Boeing claims that with this order, there are 5,600 firm orders for 737 MAX type airliners.
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