Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways has selected GE Aviation’s GEnx engines to power its Boeing 787-9 aircraft, in a contract valued at close to $2 billion.
The agreement was inked on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and witnessed by Vietnamese president Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the carrier states.
It will cover Bamboo’s firm orders for 10 787-9s, as well as options for 20 more aircraft, with the first example to be delivered in 2022. The airline’s current fleet of three 787s are also GEnx-powered examples.
The deal, which Bamboo says is the “largest ever” it has signed, also includes a maintenance package for the GEnx engines.
Separately, the carrier says it has inked a memorandum of understanding with GE joint venture CFM about possibly selecting the CFM Leap-1A engines for future Airbus A321neos.
Cirium fleets data shows the carrier to hold options for 24 A321neos, and currently operates Leap-powered A320neos and A321neos.
“Bamboo Airways and CFM will explore any action that would enable CFM to further optimise and support Bamboo Airways’ fleet expansion,” the carrier states.
The engine order comes as Bamboo gears up for charter flights to the US — the first direct flights between both countries — which are expected to commence on 23 September.
In the longer term, Bamboo intends to launch regular scheduled flights to the US. From early 2022, it says it plans to fly thrice-weekly between Ho Chi Minh and San Francisco, before ramping up to daily operations.
