Vietjet welcomed iys first wide-body A330, with Petrolimex livery, on Christmas Day as the airline looks to expand its flight network and elevate its customers’ passenger experience.

The Vietnamese carrier is expected to add two more A330 aircraft into its fleet early next year t as it starts to realize its ambition of entering the European market.

Managing director Dinh Viet Phuong said the lease and sale prices of wide-body aircraft are at ‘reasonable’ levels, making it the most suitable time to start operating this aircraft type.

Vietjet’s current fleet of A320 and A321 has carried more than 100 million passengers across Vietnam and Asia Pacific. Its Thai unit saw outperformed other domestic carriers registered in Thailand on both passenger and cargo volume in the third quarter.

The airline plans to operate the A330-300 on three new routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang with Moscow starting the middle of 2022.