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Vietnam Airlines renews Sabre GDS deal and agrees MRO joint venture with ST Aerospace
May 4th 2018
Vietnam Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ST Aerospace for a component MRO solutions joint venture (JV). Read More »
The two firms also have agreed a 14-year component Maintenance-By-the-Hour (MBH) for the airline’s 58 A321ceo and 20 incoming A321neo in component maintenance beginning mid-year. Under the MBH contract, ST Aerospace will set up an inventory base in Vietnam to provide timely services to the airline.
The JV will be based at Noi Bai International Airport and initially will offer pneumatics, hydraulics and electrical components support and will then consider commencement of aerostructure and airframe MRO.
“We are happy that Vietnam Airlines has decided to entrust their A321ceo and A321neo fleets to us for component support, and even more so by the prospect of deepening our partnership with the exploration of a joint venture. The robust development of the economy and a burgeoning middle class have created an ideal environment for the growth of the aviation industry in the Asia Pacific region, and Vietnam’s double-digit growth in the air travel sector is the best reflection of this,” said ST Aerospace president, Lim Serh Ghee.
“We are delighted to partner with ST Aerospace to establish a joint venture as well as to provide MRO support for the A321 aircraft family, which is the majority of our fleet. This partnership not only improves our fleet efficiency and world-class service quality, but also represent a major step forward for Vietnam’s aviation industry in general, contributing to the boost of bilateral economic, trade and aviation relations between Vietnam and Singapore,” said Vietnam Airlines EVP, Dang Ngoc Hoa.
Separately, Vietnam Airlines this week renewed its long-term global distribution agreement with Sabre Corp. The SkyTeam member has been a Sabre customer for more than 24 years.
“This renewed partnership with Vietnam’s national carrier helps to strengthen the brand as they continue to expand globally and implement an ambitious business plan,” said Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific vice president, Rakesh Narayanan, “We are pleased that Vietnam Airlines acknowledges Sabre as a strategic partner, based on the tested and proven solutions that we offer, which have generated impressive results over the course of our 24-year relationship. We will continue to support Vietnam Airlines by providing their content to Sabre connected agencies around the world,” he added.
Vietnam will be tenth largest passenger market by 2035. It is forecast to have annual aviation growth of 14.8% to 2020, the highest of any nation in the world, Airport Council International (ACI) data reports.
