Vietjet and Thales sign maintenance and digital aviation agreements

Vietjet and Thales, the French technology group, signed cooperation agreements covering aircraft maintenance, digital aviation, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, the companies said. The signing took place at the Élysee Palace in Paris on September 13, 2026, during an official state visit to France by Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam. French President Emmanuel Macron and business representatives from both countries were present.

The main element is a Repair-By-The-Hour contract under which Thales will handle component maintenance for Vietjet's Airbus fleet. The agreement covers the A320, A321, A321neo, A321XLR, A330 and A330neo. According to the companies, the arrangement is meant to improve technical reliability and fleet availability while managing cost and operational efficiency.

The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on digital aviation, avionics, cybersecurity and AI-supported airline operations. It sets out areas for exploration including secure cloud services, predictive analytics and decision-support tools.

Nguyen Thanh Son, chief executive of Vietjet, said the tie-up would support the reliability, safety and operational efficiency of the carrier's fleet and open further cooperation in digital technology, AI and cybersecurity. He said the airline wants to connect French technical expertise with a fast-growing aviation market and to contribute to trade, investment and people-to-people links between Vietnam and France.

Pascale Sourisse, chief executive of Thales International, said the company valued Vietjet's continued confidence, pointing to an existing relationship between the two businesses.