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Bamboo Airways plans 787 delivery and Japan Airlines partnership this month
December 6th 2019
Bamboo and Japanese flag carrier to sign partnership Memorandum of Understanding. Read More »
Bamboo Airways plans to end the year by accepting delivery of its first 787 and agreeing to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan Airlines (JAL).
Bamboo’s 787 fleet comprises a provisional order with Boeing for 20 of the type and a confirmed order for 10. It also has a lease agreement for two more 787s with GECAS. One of the aircraft from Boeing was sighted in the U.S. after it was painted. The two GECAS planes appear to be former HNA aircraft. The GECAS 787s are being prepared in Singapore, Business Traveller reported.
Senior executives from JAL and Bamboo met in Hanoi on November 26 to discuss a co-operation MOU planned to be signed in Japan this month, news platform TTVN said.
The meeting was held between FLC chairman and Bamboo CEO, Trinh Van Quyet, and JAL managing director route marketing international relations and alliances, Hideki Oshima.
Bamboo and JAL could code-share on domestic and international flights and consider helping Bamboo with distribution channels, training and Japanese regulatory procedures.
In 2018, JAL started code-sharing with LCC VietJet after All Nippon Airways (ANA) invested in Vietnam Airlines. JAL may find Bamboo a more appealing partner than an LCC given Bamboo’s hybrid service and intercontinental ambitions that better rivals the Vietnam Airlines-ANA partnership.
Bamboo aims to have a 787 in Hanoi on December 22 to coincide with an investor event. This will be the first wide-body Bamboo has accepted into its fleet, but not the first wide-body painted in Bamboo’s livery.
During the northern summer, an A330 was prepared for delivery to Bamboo, painted in the airline’s livery, but the delivery was cancelled. Bamboo said it did not plan to have A330s [in its fleet].
Initially, the 787s will fly domestic routes. Bamboo expects them also to be operated on regional Asia flights, but the primary objective for the aircraft is long-haul services. Bamboo has an interest in serving Prague, Melbourne and unspecified points in the U.S.
The airline has mooted Prague and Melbourne for 2020, while the U.S. would be by early 2021. Bamboo has not filed the paperwork in the U.S. necessary for the long process to approval.
