We know that when an airline places an order with a planemaker, deliveries are almost never instantaneous. Rather, a first delivery is more likely to take place in a few years. There are, of course exceptions to this rule such as picking up a few whitetail aircraft or acquiring from a lessor.
Perhaps an equally uncommon exception to the norm is waiting for first delivery for nearly a decade – particularly with a jet that’s certified and in-service: The 737. But, well, that’s the case for Vietnamese airline VietJet. The carrier signed an initial agreement in 2016 and is only now about to get its first 737 MAX jets.
