An Airbus A350-900 aircraft has arrived at the Noi Bai International Airport on Monday, joining the fleet of national carrier Vietnam Airlines, which is expanding with more long-haul services.

An Airbus A350 during landing at Noi Bai International Airport. (Photo by Vietnam Airlines)

This is the first aircraft out of three A350-900s in a sale and leaseback contract signed between Vietnam Airlines and Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. The other two will be delivered by early 2017.

"The sale and leaseback of three Airbus A350-900 will help us ensure a financial balance without affecting our fleet performance, and mobilise capital for our business activities," Duong Tri Thanh, Chief Executive Officer of Vietnam Airlines, said in a statement.

The new aircraft will initially fly between Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City before serving international routes.

Vietnam Airlines in September signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for 10 more A350-900 aircraft as it planned to soon launch services between Ho Chi Minh City and Los Angeles.

Last year, it became the first airline in East Asia and the second in the world to operate the wide-body A350 XWB.

With the new delivery on Monday, the carrier now has five A350s in service.

(Source: VNExpress International)