Vietnam Airlines Welcomes First 7879 Dreamliner

Vietnam Airlines (VN) welcomed its first of 19 Boeing 7879 Dreamliners on Sunday afternoon, the flag carrier said via its official Facebook page.

The stretched Dreamliner, Registration VNA861, officially joined the fleet of Vietnam Airlines following a delivery flight from Everett to Hanoi. 

Flight VN8861 took off from PAE at 2:04 p.m., Saturday and landed at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) at 5:09 p.m., Sunday, according to Flightradar24 (all local time).

Vietnam Airlines is expected to launch the inaugural 787-9 service on its domestic HanoiHo

Chi Ming route on Aug. 4, before the first 787-9 services to London in September 2015, when it will become the first Asian carrier flying the stretched Dreamliner to Europe.

The airline added that its second 7879 is due to arrive on Aug. 10.

The SkyTeam carrier ordered the 787-8 in 2007 and converted the order to the larger model 7879

in October 2010. The flag carrier is expected to take delivery of five 787-9s

by the end of this year, with the remaining pending delivery by 2018.

In early July, Boeing and Vietnam Airlines held a special predelivery ceremony of the flag carrier's first 787-9 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

At the event, Vietnam Airlines also signed a memorandum of collaboration with Boeing for the acquisition of eight 787-10 Dreamliners and eight 7778Xs,

to replace and expand the carrier's fleet.

With the arrival of the Dreamliner, Vietnam Airlines has officially become the first Asia Pacific carrier to operate both the 787- 9 Dreamliner and Airbus

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