No Vietnamese carrier operates Boeing 737 MAX aircraft: aviation official

No Vietnamese carriers use Boeing 737 MAX aircraft at the moment, said Ho Minh Tan, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

Tan affirmed this while commenting on the mid-air blowout incident regarding an aircraft operated by the U.S.’s Alaska Airlines, which led to 171 of the particular aircraft model being grounded by the U.S. aviation authorities.

Among foreign carriers with flights connecting to Vietnam, about 10 airlines are flying the Boeing 737 MAX 800 and Boeing 737 MAX 900 aircraft, Tan said.

The CAAV regularly conducts safety checks of those aircraft in Vietnam and safety is ensured, he assured.

He said the CAAV will conduct an online meeting with its U.S. counterpart, carriers and relevant aviation authorities to get updates on the situation and ensure the safety of operational aircraft.

Vietnamese carriers conducted 260,679 flights in the first 11 months of 2023, including 19,502 in November, according to CAAV data. In this period, the highest number of flights were operated by budget carrier Vietjet Air with 100,049; followed by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines with 94,440; private airline Bamboo Airways with 36,832; Pacific Airlines with 18,456; VASCO with 5,566; and Vietravel with 5,336.

In September 2023, Vietjet and US-based Carlyle Group signed an aircraft finance agreement worth $550 million during U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Vietnam. Carlyle Aviation Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Carlyle Group, will finance the purchase of 200 737 Max aircraft by Vietjet, the Vietnamese carrier said.

Also during Biden's visit, Vietnam Airlines signed a $10 billion deal with Boeing to buy 50 737 Max jets, with handover scheduled for 2027-2030. The landmark deal is expected to support more than 30,000 jobs in the U.S., the White House said.