Air France Industries (AFI) has signed an exclusive contract with Vietnam Airlines to provide full support for the General ElectricGE90 engines powering the airline’s Boeing 777 fleet, it was announced at the show yesterday.
The contract for six aircraft will run for three years.
It is the first such contract for a third party airline outside the Air France and KLM fleets and is “an endorsement” of AFI’s ambitions to develop a “very big engine” portfolio, said AFI.
Vietnam Airlines currently operates 10 777s, of which six are powered by GE90s.
AFI said that the contract considerably strengthens its profile in Asia and would open up new business opportunities in the region.
The contract provides an exclusive service for time and materials. In addition, it will provide on-wing engine services and operational support for Vietnam Airlines’ fleet in all line stations world-wide.
“It is a great honour for us to have Vietnam Airlines as our first GE90 customer,” said Bruno Delle, AFI senior vice-president industrial and business development. “With this contract, Air France Industries can position itself in the very big engines market and broaden its service range for 777 operators.”
Source: Flight Daily News
