VALC expands business to helicopter leasing

Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Co. (VALC) has leased an EC-155B1 helicopter to Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company, better known as VNH North, marking the country’s aircraft lessor’s business expansion to helicopters.

VALC delivered the modern civil helicopter to VNH North at Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi over the weekend. Manufactured at a Eurocopter facility in France, the helicopter is installed with a Turbomeca Ariel 2C2 engines and the automated and digitalized equipment for noise prevention and flights in severe weather conditions.

Tran Long, general director of VALC, said in a statement that this was the company’s first helicopter leased to an aviation services provider in Vietnam.

VALC has taken delivery of some five ATR72-500 planes from French Avion de Transport Regional (ATR) and delivered these aircraft worth more than US$100 million to its partner Vietnam Airlines for use on domestic flights.

Late last year, VALC inked a US$184-million deal to purchase 20 low-emission V2500 SelectOne engines to power the 10 Airbus A321-200s that the company has ordered from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus as well as receive support services from the International Aero Engines consortium (IAE).

VALC expected to receive these A321-200s between 2012 and 2013 for leasing to Vietnam Airlines in accordance with the contract the two sides have signed. The company’s total bills for the 10 aircrafts and 20 V2500 SelectOne engines were put at more than US$700 million.

Last year, Vietnam Airlines selected IAE as the supplier of V2500 engines made with improved fuel efficiency and reduced carbon-dioxide emissions for the 36 Airbus A321s ordered by Vietnam Airlines and VALC. The national flag air carrier owns 26 of these aircraft.

In December 2007, Airbus clinched US$3.5-billion deals in Hanoi to supply ten A321s and ten medium-capacity A350-900s to Vietnam Airlines, and another ten A321s to VALC.