Vietnam Airlines has signed a $112 million contract to buy six turboprop ATR 72-500s from ATR, a joint venture between EADS and the Finmeccanica consortium.

The aircraft will be delivered between June 2009 and February 2010 and CEO Pham Ngoc Minh said they would replace the carrier’s aging ATR 72-200s.

"With today's purchase of six further ATR 72-500s, we will satisfy the increasing demand for services on short-haul routes," he added.

Source: Routes News