At the signing ceremony. (Source: VNA)Paris (VNA) – VietnamAirlines and Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance (AFM KLM E&M) inked an agreement for themaintenance of Boeing 787-9 engines worth 500 million USD in Paris on March 26.
The signing was witnessed by President of the National Assembly of FranceFrancois de Rugy and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam NguyenPhu Trong, who is on an official visit to France.
Under thedocument, AFM KLM E&M will maintain 20 GEnx engines of Vietnam Airlines for12 years and provide the carrier with spare engine access to guarantee seamlesscontinuity of its operations.
The event marks efforts made byVietnam’s aviation sector in fulfilling its role as an economic bridge betweenEurope and Asia over the past two decades.
The signing took place withVietnam and France celebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomaticties. France has committed to supporting Vietnam in establishing acomprehensive relationship with the EU and Vietnam will help France and otherEU nations become partners of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)countries.
Duong Tri Thanh, General Directorof Vietnam Airlines, told Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper that Vietnam Airlines isproud to be the only Vietnamese air carrier to run direct flights betweenVietnam and France over the past 15 years.
Vietnam Airlines has alwaysregarded France as a strategic market to access Europe and North America, hesaid.
The firm opened a representativeoffice in France 25 years ago. On July 2, 1994, the airline launched an airroute between Vietnam and France through Dubai, using Boeing 767 aircraft. Tenyears later, the carrier opened non-stop routes from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City toParis.
Thanks to such efforts, thenumber of Vietnam Airlines’ passengers traveling to and from France hasincreased sharply, from 800,000 during 1994-2003 to about 3.2 million in the followingten years.
In 2018, the carrier is expectedto transport 4 million passengers en Vietnam-France route.
At the end of 2017, VietnamAirlines signed a joint venture deal with Air France, meeting the traveldemands of passengers and helping increase economic ties between the twocountries as well as Southeast Asia and Europe.
Vietnam Airlines is the onlyVietnamese air carrier to conduct flights from the Southeast Asian nation toFrance, with 10 per week.-VNA
VNA
