Viet Nam's Bamboo Airways adds A320 capacity for travel peak
In a sign the fleet consolidation process at Bamboo Airways (QH, Hanoi Noi Bai International) has bottomed out, the airline will lease two narrowbody Airbus aircraft to provide extra capacity over the upcoming New Year and Têt (Vietnamese New Year) travel peak.
The carrier confirmed the presumed wet-lease via a December 11, 2023, statement, saying it had sourced a single A320-200 and A321-200 from an unidentified lessor, with the aircraft due to enter service from January 1, 2024. They are the first additions to the Bamboo Airways fleet since the airline underwent a restructuring this year, resulting in many aircraft returning to lessors.
"The successful leasing of two aircraft and increased load to serve the Tet peak season affirms Bamboo Airways' recovery efforts, as well as demonstrates the trust of partners in the airline's existence and development," a spokesperson said.
Bamboo's existing fleet is down to 15 aircraft, including two A320-200s, four A320-200Ns, four A321-200s, and five ERJ 190-100LRs. The airline says the additional two aircraft will boost its available seat capacity by 20% over the holiday period. The Bamboo Airways spokesperson said the airline will deploy most of that additional capacity onto the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh - Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh - Vinh City, Ho Chi Minh - Thanh Hoa, and Ho Chi Minh - Haiphong city pairs.
