Vietnamese airline invests in British aerospace
Airbus will produce wings for 100 aircraft for Vietjet’s fleet.
Following a meeting between UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and Vietnam’s General Secretary, Tô Lâm, Vietnamese airline Vietjet has placed an order for 100 Airbus A321neo aircraft, which will be designed in Bristol, England, and manufactured in North Wales.
The deal will support thousands of jobs in the Airbus workforce, which includes 12,000 employees across the UK, as well as adding to the £5.3bln the government estimates Airbus contributes to the economy every year.
Wings for the ordered aircraft will be designed at Airbus’ Filton facility in Bristol and manufactured at its Broughton site, North Wales, with concept to product delivered from within the UK.
This aligns with the UK Government’s Plan for Change, which includes ‘kickstarting economic growth’ by creating more high-skilled jobs and increasing productivity within the country.
This accompanies further investment in the UK aviation sector from Vietjet, as it has signed a deal with Rolls-Royce to manufacture 92 Trent 7000 engines to be used in 40 A330neos, which will also support thousands of jobs in the sector.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander visited Airbus’ Bristol site to mark the order and see how it will add to continued investment in the company’s research and development.
Alexander says, ‘This major investment from VietJet is a big vote of confidence in British aerospace and engineering, and will support jobs across the country to deliver our Plan for Change.’
