HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet said on Thursday it has signed an agreement worth $300 million with AV AirFinance, a partner of investment fund KKR, to fund the expansion of its fleet.
Thursday’s announcement confirmed a Reuters report last week on the finance deal done between Vietjet and AV AirFinance during a visit to the U.S. by Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc for reciprocal tariff negotiation. The deal value was initially reported at $200 million.
The agreement with AV AirFinance is the latest in a string of financing agreements worth $4 billion that have been signed with U.S. partners, Vietjet said in its statement.
Vietjet has also agreed to buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX jets in a deal first signed in 2016 and revised during Trump’s Vietnam visit in 2019. No jets have been delivered yet, though.
The airline is looking forward to receiving the first jets this year and is in talks to expand the order, it said in the statement.
Reuters reported on last Friday that the airline was also considering the purchase of 20 wide-body Boeing 787 jets.
(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by John Mair and Tom Hogue)
