Unofficial channels and Vietnamese media are lighting up with news regarding Bamboo Airways and a meeting with Boeing over the 777X. The meeting apparently took place on Friday, at Bamboo's offices with representatives from both companies looking to discuss the potential for Boeing's latest airframe.Bamboo Airways Boeing 787

The meeting

According to Twitter account Boeing 777X Lovers, Bamboo Airways is particularly interested in utilizing the 777x for nonstop transpacific flights. For the airline, this is primarily from its home base in Vietnam to the United States.

This could be a huge market for travelers wanting a direct service between the two countries. Currently, no such service exists.

According to Vietnamese media, Dang Tat Thang, Standing Vice President and General Director of Bamboo Airways was in attendance, along with Michael J. Fowler, the sales representative for Boeing. Thang said that the business is very interested in Boeing's newly launched aircraft. Below is a quote from Mr. Thang (Vietnamese translated to English):

"The Boeing 777X meets all the criteria we set for the long-haul flight, especially the US route. Bamboo Airways and Boeing will continue to hold in-depth discussions to calculate cooperation options. The expectation of both is to arrive at Boeing 777X orders as soon as possible, " -Dang Tat Thang, General Director, Bamboo Airways

Bamboo Airways says that it intends to commence a Vietnam-US route in early 2021.

Better than the 787 for US flights

Bamboo Airways
Received on the 22nd December, the 787 delivery to Bamboo marked the first privately owned airline in Vietnam to operate widebody aircraft. Photo: Bamboo Airways

At the meeting, Jill Kelly, Head of Marketing for the Boeing 777X said that Bamboo's current Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 is capable of operating a Vietnam-US direct flight. However, the 777X would be a better choice as it allows the airline to fly to any destination in the United States with a larger number of passengers and cargo. She may be right, but we're also guessing she may have a little bit of a bias and not-so-hidden agenda in making those remarks.

"This is an especially suitable aircraft for long journeys across the continent because of the comfort it provides its customers," -Jill Kelly, Head of 777X Marketing

vnExpress also reports that Bamboo Airways wants Boeing to 'be a bridge' for cooperation between the airline and 'prestigious' US airlines. What this looks like for Boeing remains a mystery. Vietnamese airlines are promoting the exploration and discussion of possible partnerships, that may effectively 'exploit this potential flight'.

Bamboo Airways plane prague
Bamboo Airways flights to Prague will start next month. Photo: Bamboo Airways

Conclusion

As of early 2020, Boeing reports 340 orders and open letters for the twinjet widebody from airlines around the world. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in early 2021.

Although somewhat par for the course for new aircraft, the Boeing 777X program has experienced some delays. Since 2019, both Emirates and Lufthansa have prepared for this delay and are taking this into account when it comes to each airline’s fleet strategy. The original delivery date for the new aircraft was goin to be mid-2020.

Do you think Boeing successfully convinced Bamboo Airways to purchase the jet? Or might Airbus be a contender as well? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

We reached out to Bamboo Airways and Boeing with requests for comment.

Thank you to @b777Xlovers for alerting us to this story!