After having pictures taken with the aircraft, PM Cameron was welcomed by Vietnam Airlines General Director Pham Ngoc Minh and Rolls-Royce President Tony Wood at the Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company (VAECO) factory, which stores the Rolls-Royce engines used in the A350 fleet.
On the occasion, Vietnam Airlines and the British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce signed a deal to provide maintenance for Vietnam Airlines’ 14 A350 aircrafts.
Vietnam Airlines is the world’s second airline to operate the 350-900 XWB’s and the first in Asia-Pacific to use both Boeing 787-9’s and Airbus A350-900’s.
It will replace old aircrafts with 19 Boeing 787’s and 14 Airbus A350’s that are scheduled for delivery between 2015 and 2019.
This year, the carrier will fly Boeing 787-9’s on routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to London and Frankfurt, and operate Airbus A350-900s on flights from Hanoi to Paris and Seoul.