National carrier Vietnam Airlines attended a flight demonstration of Bombardier’s small CRJ900 jet aircraft on Tuesday in Ha Noi.
The flight departed at 12am from Noi Bai International Airport, flying around Ha Long Bay and returning to the airport at 1:15pm.
This CRJ900 is a newly produced plane that will soon be handed over to the US’s Delta Airlines. The aircraft is equipped with a modern interior that minimises noise and large windows with plenty of natural light.
The demonstration was part of the plan to introduce Bombardier’s small jets to Vietnam Airlines. With the aim of renovating the fleet and improving the efficiency and quality of service on short flights, Vietnam Airlines is in the process of researching and acquiring new small jet aircrafts to replace its fleet of ATR72s.
As a national airline, with the task of maintaining social and political flights, Vietnam Airlines’s fleet of small aircrafts is indispensable in accordance with the receiving capacity of local airports. The company’s next step in its fleet modernisation strategy is to replace the ATR72 with a new jet engine to improve the efficiency of some niche markets including short flights, small capacity flights and flights to airports with limited infrastructure.
Inside the Bombardier CRJ900’s compact cabin. — Photo courtesy of Vietnam Airlines
Launched in 2003, the CRJ900 is a CRJ family jet manufactured by Bombardier. With an 80-90 seat configuration, a range of over 3000km, an average speed of 870km per hour and a wireless entertainment system, the CRJ900 is being used by a number of major airlines such as American Airlines, China Express, Delta and Lufthansa.
Bombardier’s opportunities in South East Asia in general and Vietnam Airlines in particular are expanding as the market grows significantly. However, the Bombardier CRJ900 has to compete with many competitors at the same level.
Currently, Vietnam Airlines is also exploring the effectiveness of other smaller jetliners including the A220s from an Airbus and Bombardier joint venture (formerly the CSeries CS100/300 of Bombardier); the E190-E2 and E175-E2 from Embraer; the MRJ70/90 from Mitsubishi and the SSJ100 from Sukhoi.
According to the overall development plan of Vietnam Airlines for 2021-2030, the company expects to own 20 small jet aircrafts. After selecting the most suitable type of small jets, Vietnam Airlines will lease some jets for about six months to test and evaluate their performance before deciding whether to rent or purchase the fleet long term. — VNS