Vietnam-based startup Bamboo Airways has signed a commitment with Boeing to purchase 20 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft worth $5.6bn.

Under the deal, Bamboo Airways deposited the required fund to reserve the 20 planes,  which are expected to be delivered between April 2020 and 2021.

Bamboo Airways plans to start commercial operations next year from Vietnam’s capital Hanoi.

The airline is a wholly-owned unit of Vietnamese multi-industry company FLC Group and is expected to offer flights within the country initially. Moving forward, the company plans to expand its presence into other Northeast Asian markets such as China, Korea and Japan.

FLC Group chairman Trinh Van Quyet said: “Our long-term vision is to connect Vietnam to key markets within Asia, Europe and North America and the capabilities of these new state-of-the-art Dreamliners will help us achieve our goals.

“Our long-term vision is to connect Vietnam to key markets within Asia, Europe and North America and the capabilities of these new state-of-the-art Dreamliners will help us achieve our goals.”

“The 787’s superior economics and efficiency, as well as the passenger pleasing interior of the Dreamliner will allow us to successfully grow our business while enabling us to better serve our customers.”

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner family of aircraft are designed to carry 290 passengers, in a typical two-class configuration, up to a distance of 14,140km.

The aircraft are 6m longer than the company’s 787-8 family of aircraft and can fly more passengers and more cargo.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes Asia Pacific and India sales senior vice-president Dinesh Keskar said: “We are confident that the 787 will help launch Bamboo’s long-haul operations and serve as the foundation of their success for many years to come.”

In a separate development, Indian carrier Jet Airways has agreed to buy 75 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft from Boeing.

Valued at around $8.8bn, the deal will help the airline to serve India’s domestic passenger base.