Vietnam Airlines has signed an agreement with Boeing to collaborate on renewing its widebody fleet, which could see the carrier adding eight Boeing 777-8X and eight Boeing 787-10 aircraft.

"We give priority to the widebody aircraft made by Boeing," says Pham Ngoc Minh, president and chief executive of the carrier, at a ceremonial handover of the carrier's first 787-9 at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport today.

Ray Conner, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial airplanes, announced the agreement at the ceremony.

Boeing says it has "offered" the carrier eight 787-10s and eight 777-8Xs as part of a memorandum of collaboration to replace and expand the carrier's fleet.

"Boeing and Vietnam Airlines will work together and report to government authorities before coming to official cooperation agreements in the future," says the airframer.

Vietnam Airlines already holds an order for 19 787-9s, the Ascend Fleets database shows. The carrier operates eight 777-200ERs and also has orders for 14 Airbus A350-900s, of which one aircraft is already in service.

Source: Cirium Dashboard