Vietnam Airlines Expands Boeing 737 MAX Fleet with 19 New Leased Aircraft

Carrier signs deals at Farnborough Airshow to take its future 737 MAX fleet to 69 jets, with deliveries beginning in 2028.

Vietnam Airlines has confirmed plans to lease 19 additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, in a major move to modernise its fleet and expand services across Vietnam and the wider Asian region. The agreements were signed on 20 and 21 July at the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK, marking a significant step in the airline's long-term growth strategy.

Three international leasing companies will supply the new aircraft. Vietnam Airlines will receive ten Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets from SMBC Aviation Capital, four from Avolon Aerospace Leasing Limited, and five from Phoenix Aviation Capital, managed by AIP Capital. These leased jets will supplement the 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft Vietnam Airlines ordered directly from Boeing earlier in 2026, taking the carrier's future 737 MAX fleet to 69 aircraft in total.​​​​​​​

The 19 leased aircraft are scheduled to begin arriving from 2028, allowing Vietnam Airlines to boost capacity ahead of its directly ordered aircraft, which were finalised in Washington, DC, in February 2026 and are expected to arrive between 2030 and 2032. Leasing offers airlines a faster route to additional capacity at a time when manufacturers continue to manage lengthy order backlogs, giving Vietnam Airlines room to grow. In contrast, its longer-term fleet order is fulfilled.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 will primarily serve domestic routes and short-to-medium-haul international services across Asia. The aircraft can carry up to 200 passengers depending on configuration, with a range of up to 3,500 nautical miles, making it well suited to connecting major Vietnamese cities with destinations across Southeast Asia. While the new jets won't operate long-haul flights between the UK and Vietnam, they could improve onward connections for British travellers heading beyond Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to other parts of Vietnam and neighbouring countries.​​​​​​​

The expansion comes as air travel demand rises across Vietnam and Southeast Asia, with Boeing forecasting that Vietnam's annual passenger traffic could more than double to over 75 million travellers within the next decade. Vietnam Airlines Chairman Dang Ngoc Hoa said the investment supports the carrier's ambition to become a five-star international airline by 2030.

For UK holidaymakers, the fleet expansion could eventually mean greater flight availability and smoother connections when travelling within Vietnam and across the region, though exact routes and schedules for the leased aircraft are yet to be confirmed.​​​​​​​

Anyone planning a trip to Vietnam or elsewhere in Southeast Asia can speak to Crystal Travel's travel agents, who can help find the best routes and connections to suit individual travel plans.