VietNamNet Bridge - Investing heavily in new-generation aircraft and concentrating on upgrading the quality of services are part of Vietnam Airlines' efforts to upgrade its position in global airline rankings.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung on Vietnam Airlines' first Airbus 350-900 aircraft on July 2.

Earlier this week, Airbus delivered to Vietnam Airlines the first A350 XWB aircraft put into commercial exploitation. According to sources from Airbus, Vietnam will be the second country in the world using this model, with four units to be delivered in 2015. These aircraft will be operated on routes from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul (South Korea) and Hanoi/HCM City to Paris (France).

Along with the A350, in the second half this year Vietnam Airlines will receive four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. This is considered a step in the plan to replace the entire fleet of widebody aircraft with 33 units in the period from now until 2019. The national carrier will also launch the new brand identity, with new logo, stewardess uniforms, interior - exterior design, lounge, instruments and others.

Leaders of Vietnam Airlines said that this is part of a plan to upgrade the quality of service up to 4-star in 2015. According to evaluation by UK-based Skytrax, Vietnam Airlines is now 3-star. In Southeast Asia, Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways of Thailand and SilkAir of Singapore have reached 4-star standards. Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia have reached the highest ranking of 5 stars.

Vietnam Airlines said that by the end of 2014 the company achieved about 80% more than 970 criteria rated at 4 stars or higher.

Based on the 2014 results, quality service in economy class by Vietnam Airlines can reach 4 stars; it ranks 31st out of 44 airlines of 4-5 star standards worldwide. However, the service quality of business class is nearly 4 stars.

Skytrax is a UK-based consultancy, which runs an airline and airport review and ranking site. It conducts research for commercial airlines, as well as surveys from international travelers to rate cabin staff, airports, airlines, airline lounges, in-flight entertainment, on-board catering and several other elements of air travel.

Vietnam Airlines launches new-generation Airbus plane

Vietnam Airlines held a ceremony on July 2 to receive its first Airbus 350-900 aircraft and announce its upgrade service quality programme and new brand identifying system, marking a major step in bringing the airline into the international arena.

Among those present at the event was Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who also joined a takeoff ceremony for the new jetliner.

The PM congratulated Vietnam Airlines on its A350-900 new-generation aircraft and spoke highly of effective cooperation between the carrier and Airbus Group. He praised the airline’s announcement of its upgrade programme on service quality and new brand identifying system

He said he hoped the airliner would expand and ensure air safety and security.

He suggested Airbus continue supporting Vietnam in personnel training and development of technical logistics facilities while affirming Vietnam’s willingness to cooperate with the aircraft manufacturer in other field.

At the ceremony, the PM witnessed the signing of a technical cooperation agreement between Vietnam Airlines and Airbus Group in which later pledged to provide a full package of parts and supplies for the former’s A350 fleet over 12 years.

Aircraft A350-900 XWB is the newest member of Airbus’s wide-body family.

Receiving Aircraft A350-900 XWB is part of Vietnam Airlines’ plan by 2020 to enlarge its fleet of new-generation wide-body aircrafts for its long-distance services. The national flagship carrier is the second airline in the world, after Qatar Airways, to operate the new generation aircraft. As scheduled, Vietnam Airlines will have fourteen A350-900s, including 10 ordered directly from Airbus and another four from leasing firms.

During the ceremony, Vietnam Airlines introduced its plan to upgrade its services to meet four-star rating by the end of this year, covering ticket booking, in-flight services, after-sales and staff attitude alongside its new brand identifying system applied from July 3 onwards.

Nam Hai