The budget carrier Vietjet will purchase 100 Boeing B737 MAX airplanes, worth a total of US$12.7 billion, following an order contract inked between the two companies at the Farnborough International Airshow 2018 in southern England on Wednesday.

Vietjet’s new order will go toward serving the carrier’s development of airline alliances across the Asia Pacific region and worldwide, and further enhance the airline’s fleet synchronisation, modernisation and fuel efficiency up to 2025, the carrier said in a statement.

“The deal is also expected to increase bilateral trade turnover between Viet Nam and the US - the home of Boeing,” it said.

Kevin McAllister, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes agreed. He added that this agreement also grows Boeing’s presence and partnerships across Asia Pacific, developing win-win partnerships in a region with tremendous development potential.

Of these aircraft, 80 are the recently launched 737 MAX 10 - the largest version of Boeing’s best-selling 737 range - and 20 are the benchmark 737 MAX 8 model, Reuters reported.

Earlier, Boeing Commercial Airplanes committed to deploying a series of strategic partnership programmes to develop modern aviation service ecology in Viet Nam, including maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and training for pilots, technicians and engineers to enhance the management and automation capabilities of airlines in Viet Nam and the country’s aviation industry as a whole. — VNS