Vietravel Airlines (Hue Phu Bai Int'l) took delivery of its first aircraft, an A321-200, following the arrival of VN-A278 (msn 6376) at Ho Chi Minh City on December 4.

Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows the six-year-old ex-Thomas Cook Airlines UK narrowbody jet was ferried to Southeast Asia from Shannon via Cairo Int'l and Muscat under its previous registration, OE-IDP.

Vietravel Airlines is in the final stages of its AOC certification drive with the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV). Past reports have indicated it will launch with one A321-200N and two A321-200s.

Nguyen Quoc Ky, the Chairman of Vietravel Airlines, told the Saigon Times last week that its second aircraft will arrive later this coming week with the third due by month-end. Once its AOC has been awarded, Vietravel Airlines expects to launch domestic flights around December 19 to 27.

It plans to operate more than 80 flights per week, concentrating on connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, and Hanoi with tourist destinations such as Da Nang, Nha Trang Cam Ranh, and Phu Quoc. Overall, Vietravel Airlines aims to serve one million passengers in Year One of its operations.