The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be delivered to the Vietnam Airlines later this month.

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Boeing and national carrier Vietnam Airlines (VNA) celebrated the airline's first 787 Dreamliner, with the aircraft providing the backdrop at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington on July 6.

The event was attended by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Nguyen Phu Trong, who was on an official visit to the United States.

More than 200 delegates, including ministers and ambassadors from Viet Nam and the United States, local and international media and guests, attended the event. The Dreamliner is scheduled to be delivered to the VNA later this month.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and representatives from ministries and embassies of Viet Nam and the US cut the ribbon to celebrate the new aircraft.

The airline will initially use the new plane on the Ha Noi - HCM City route, before operating it on an international route from Viet Nam to Heathrow Airport in London. It will become the first airline in the region to operate the new Boeing aircraft on direct routes from Southeast Asia to Europe.

The carrier is the first in Asia to operate the new modern aircraft.

Trong congratulated the airline. The event marks an important milestone in the VNA's plan to expand its fleet, making it the first in Asia to receive and operate two new modern aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A350-900 XWB.

A stewardess guides the General Secretary to new features of the Dreamliner.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of Vietnam Airlines Pham Viet Thanh said the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the first of 19 new aircraft that would expand the VNA's fleet and operations.

"I believe that with its state-of-the-art, environment-friendly, safe and convenient features, the 787 will offer Vietnam Airlines' passengers new experiences and a new quality of service," Thanh said.

Leaders of Vietnam Airlines and Boeing sign a memorandum of collaboration at the event.

At the event, the two companies also signed a memorandum of collaboration toward the goal of replacing and expanding the VNA's fleet. Boeing has offered the airline eight 787-10 Dreamliners and eight 777-8Xs, which the airline has acknowledged. Boeing and Vietnam Airlines will work together and report to government authorities before signing official co-operation agreements in the future.

The 787 provides unmatched fuel efficiency, resulting in exceptional environment-friendly performance. The aircraft category uses 20 to 30 per cent less fuel and has 20 to 30 per cent fewer emissions than the airplanes they replace. The 777X will include new engines, an all-new composite wing and will leverage technologies from the 787 Dreamliner, offering airlines more market coverage and revenue capability than their competition.

The VNA operates more than 360 daily flights with its young fleet of modern aircraft. It became an official member of SkyTeam Alliance in 2010, and was the first representative of the alliance in the Southeast Asian region. — VNS