Vietnam sees air passenger numbers doubling by 2020
HANOI, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Vietnam expects air passenger traffic to more than double to 32.4 million people by 2020 from 14.5 million a year now, state media cited industry reports on Friday as showing.
The aviation sector would grow 11 percent to 14 percent a year until 2020, meaning it would handle 32.4 million passengers and 0.8 million tonnes of cargo in 2020, the Vietnam Economic Times newspaper quoted an industry report as saying.
Vietnam's four airlines would strive to expand their fleet to between 140 and 150 aircraft by 2020, by which time the capacity of the country's airports should have expanded fourfold, it said.
On Friday, national carrier Vietnam Airlines and an aircraft leasing firm signed contracts with European planemaker EADS (EAD.PA) to buy 10 Airbus 350-900XWB passenger jets and 20 single-aisle A321 jets, with the first delivery in July, 2012.
Unlisted Vietnam Airlines, pressed to keep up with demand as the domestic economy grows at more than 8 percent a year and tourism and trade with it, said it planned to expand its fleet to 110 by 2020, 74 of them from Airbus.
Last month, it bought four Boeing (BA.N)787-8 Dreamliners and Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Co bought eight of the model.
Three other airlines in Vietnam are Pacific Airlines -- 30 percent owned by Qantas Airways Ltd. (QAN.AX), VASCO and VietJet Air, the country's first fully private airlines.
The government has said it would license more private carriers in the next five years to meet demand. (Reporting by Ho Binh Minh)
