UK aerospace sector given boost by VietJet deal

The UK aerospace sector has received a boost through an order of 100 new aircraft from Vietnamese carrier VietJet.

Following a meeting between Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and Vietnamese General Secretary, To Lam, in Downing Street, the budget airline confirmed it had made an order for Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The deal will see the aircraft's wings designed and built at Airbus' Bristol and north Wales sites respectively - as well as investment in Rolls Royce's aerospace facility in Derby.

The government said the agreement would support "thousands of jobs and boost the economy" as part of its 'Plan for Change.'

Airbus employs about 12,000 people in the UK and the government said the investment would "safeguard highly skilled jobs" across both of the firm's sites.

Sue Partridge, from Airbus, said the deal was not only "really important" to the company but also "really important for the UK".

"The orders that we get today that enable us to ramp up production of our A321 family, not only help to decarbonise aviation but also they fund the innovation of tomorrow," she added.

Vietjet has also signed a deal with Rolls Royce to acquire 92 Trent 7000 engines to be manufactured in the UK for use in 40 A330 neo aircraft.

The government also said it was supporting sectors such as aviation with major investments to encourage innovation, including £20.4bn for research and development across the UK until April 2026.

Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport and Swindon South MP, said: "We know that there is much more to do to get the really high quality jobs that people want in places like Bristol and across the south west."

She added that it was "all about making sure that we get the economy firing on all cylinders" to "get more money in people's pockets and they start to feel better off".

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