New Dreamliner for Vietnam Airlines

London Heathrow was the first international destination for Vietnam Airlines’ new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.  The inaugural flight earlier this month was officially welcomed by Nguyen Van Thao, Vietnamese ambassador to the UK.

VIP guests were invited to a ceremony at the SkyTeam lounge at Terminal 4, followed by an exclusive tour of the stylish new high-tech cabin on board the aircraft. 

It has been a year of firsts for the airline; it being the first to operate the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner nonstop between south-east Asia and Europe and the first to operate both Boeing and Airbus’ modern next-generation aircraft at the same time.

The new Dreamliner aircraft will operate all of the five weekly non-stop services between Heathrow and Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City, with flight frequencies from Heathrow scheduled to rise, initially to six flights per week, and subsequently to a daily service for summer 2016, to meet demand.  This super-efficient aircraft flies further, with more passengers and cargo than the B787-8, whilst using 20% less fuel and with 20% fewer emissions.

The new aircraft will feature fully flat beds in Business Class, and in-flight Wi-Fi services. Passengers in all three cabin classes will benefit from larger windows and stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity and cleaner air, lower cabin pressure and a smoother, quieter ride.

Vietnam Airlines are undertaking a major fleet upgrade which will see the delivery of 19 Boeing 787s and 14 Airbus A350-900 XWBs by early 2019. The new aircraft will replace the airline’s entire fleet of wide body aircraft, dramatically enhancing its product offering while also maintaining its cost-effectiveness on long-haul and intercontinental routes.