ORDER / FLEET - Thai VietJetAir to add first nine B737-8s by YE25

Thai VietJetAir (VZ, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) will receive nine B737-8s in the last quarter of this year, chief executive Woranate Laprabang told the Bangkok Post. The low-cost carrier has commitments for up to 50 of the type, which will replace its A320-200 and A321-200 aircraft over the next five years.

The first B737-8 is due in October, followed by four in November and another four in December, the Thai newspaper reported. The airline expects to end 2025 with a fleet of 23 aircraft.

In May, VietJetAir (VJ, Hanoi Noi Bai International) transferred 50 of its 200 B737-8 orders from Boeing to its associate company, Thai VietJetAir, in a bid to modernise its fleet.

The additional aircraft will support new routes in the fourth quarter of 2025, including planned flights from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Seoul Incheon, Tokyo Narita, Osaka Kansai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. Services to Hong Kong International, Nagoya Chubu, and Perth International are on the radar for 2026.

According to its chief executive, Thai VietJetAir has already returned four Airbus aircraft this year. ch-aviation fleets data shows that A320-200s HS-VKF (msn 4475), HS-VKP (msn 5742), HS-VKQ (msn 5822), and HS-VKT (msn 5879) have gradually been withdrawn and ferried to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta for storage since June.

Thai VietJetAir currently operates a fleet of twelve A320-200s, including the four retired, and six A321-200s, which operate over 600 weekly flights.

Macquarie AirFinance orders more MAXs
Australian lessor Macquarie AirFinance has revealed that it has placed an additional order for the Boeing B737-8. The order, which was booked by Boeing as "undisclosed" in July 2025 is for another 30 aircraft.
With this latest commitment, Macquarie AirFinance now has placed firm orders with Boeing for 70 B737-8s. All of these should be delivered and placed with customers by end 2032.
Illustration by Boeing.

CH Aviation