Bamboo Airways took delivery of a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, its first wide-body aircraft, at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi on Sunday. — Photo courtesy of Bamboo

Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways took delivery of a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, its first wide-body aircraft, at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi on Sunday.

It is the first private carrier in Viet Nam to use a wide-body aircraft.

The plane’s first service will be from Ha Noi to Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh. It will mostly operated on routes between Ha Noi and HCM City, and Ha Noi and Phu Quoc to serve high travel demand during the Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival in January.

The aircraft was named “Ha Long Bay,” a renowned Vietnamese natural heritage site, said President and CEO of Bamboo Airways Trinh Van Quyet.

The airline expects to add three more Boeing Dreamliners to its fleet early next year.

Earlier this year, Bamboo Airways signed an agreement to purchase 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners worth US$5.6 billion. By January, 2020, the airline's fleet will reach 30 aircraft, and is expected to grow to 100 by 2024.

Bamboo Aiways currently operates 34 domestic and international routes, and is hoping to provide services on 37-40 routes by the end of 2019, including regular international routes to the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China) and other countries in Southeast Asia. — VNS