a plane flying in the air

First Bamboo Airways Boeing 787-9 Delivered

Bamboo Airways is one of many smaller new airlines that are popping up across South East Asia. Bamboo has been rapidly expanding in Vietnam and currently serves 28 destinations.

an airplane flying over the ocean

This week the airline took delivery of two Boeing 787-9s; the airline now has grown to 12 aircraft in its fleet, with their primary workhorse being the Airbus A321. In a statement, Bamboo Airways said that they expect their fleet to grow to 30 in the first quarter of 2020 and to 100 by 2024. This rapid growth leaves many asking questions of feasibility, as we have seen lots of instability with airlines that have taken this growth route.

a plane on the runway

The Business Class seats can be seen below.

a room with seats and tables
Bamboo B787-9 Business Class
a row of beds in a plane
Bamboo B787-9 Business Class

The big surprise came when Bamboo revealed the seat map for the plane. The seat map below shows 4 First Class Individual Suites, 24 Reverse Herringbone Business Class seats and 274 Economy seats set up in a 3-3-3 configuration

a diagram of a passenger seat
Seat map of Bamboo Airways B787-9 with First Class Suite

A spokesperson from Bamboo Airways have contacted SamChui.com and clarified the above seat map, “I’m writing to inform you that Bamboo Airways’ First Class is not available until our fifth Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.”

The airline expects the B787-9 to fly initially on domestic routes to Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City-Da Nang; although nothing has been loaded into their system yet.

Eventually, the aircraft will be flown on international routes to Asia, Europe and the Americas; Bamboo specifically mentions Japan, Korea, China, Czech Republic and Australia.

A big congratulations to Bamboo Airways for taking delivery of what looks like a great aircraft. Bamboo Airways becomes one of just 4 other airlines offering a true First Class product on board the Boeing 787-9 (the other 3 are British Airways, Etihad and Oman Air). We can’t wait to show you more of the Bamboo product as we get additional information.

What do you make of Bamboo Airways surprise First Class?