Vietnam Airlines to auction three A321 CEO aircraft hinh anh 1
An Airbus A321 aircraft belonging to national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines at Lien Khuong airport in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. (Photo: VNS/VNA)

The jets were manufactured in 2007 and would have a starting price of 5 million USD each, it said.

The airline has chosen an asset auction unit to handle the sale of these aircraft, which bear Vietnamese nationality and are identified by their respective serial numbers: A350, A351, and A352.

The jets are currently parked at Hanoi-based Noi Bai International Airport and Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

The auction is part of the carrier’s efforts to renew its aircraft that are more than ten years old and to improve its financial situation impacted by the economic turmoil and the pandemic.

In 2020, the company successfully sold five A321 jets for a total of 37 million USD, averaging 7.4 million USD per aircraft.

In 2021, the airline also announced an auction for 11 Airbus A321 CEO aircraft that had been in service for over 12 years. It had recently sold several ATR-72 aircraft.

Vietnam Airlines currently operates a fleet of 94 aircraft, with 65 A321 aircraft having an average age of 9.3 years.

In the first half of the year, the airline conducted 64,300 flights, transporting 10.14 million passengers, up 23.6% year-on-year.

Its revenue exceeded 45.2 trillion VND in the period, up nearly 50% year-on-year, which was still slightly lower compared to the pre-pandemic period in 2019./. VNA