Vietnam Airlines sells back old planes
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Vietnam Airlines (VNA) has sold an old ATR 72-200 aircraft back to its European manufacturer, in the first step of a comprehensive fleet modernisation plan. According to a Thanh Nien Daily report, VNA will sell back all seven ATR 72-200s that have been in service since 1992. In turn, the old planes will be replaced by eleven new ATR 72-500 planes purchased, deals for which was signed in 2007 and last December. The new planes will all be delivered within a year.
VNA plans to build a fleet of 14 new, fuel efficient ATR 72-500 airplanes, by the end of 2010 for short-haul flights between Hanoi and the northern mountains, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta, as well as destinations in Laos and Cambodia, the report said. The new models seat 70 passengers and have six instead of four blade propellers for smoother, quieter flying.
This latest modernisation plan is part of VNA’s broader plan to expand its fleet to 104 airplanes by 2015, and 150 by 2020. This year’s Farnborough Air Show saw the national carrier sign deals worth nearly US$1.9 billion worth of orders for 16 Airbus A321s and two A350-900s.
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