FLC Group is launching a dedicated aircraft leasing initiative valued at approximately $230 million to underpin the next phase of Bamboo Airways’ development, according to recent corporate disclosures and related investment discussions. The move comes as FLC prepares to fully regain control of Bamboo Airways after a restructuring under a separate investor group failed to deliver the expected operational and financial results.
At an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting in Hanoi, Bamboo Airways chairman Le Thai Sam said the current investor group no longer had the financial and governance capacity to sustain the airline’s operations. He proposed transferring all shares back to FLC, the carrier’s founding conglomerate. Subsequent reports indicate FLC shareholders have backed the reacquisition, and FLC has been working with foreign investors, including Korean fund Eastbridge Partners, on potential capital arrangements to support aviation growth.
The planned leasing venture is expected to be structured around converting part of Bamboo Airways’ existing debt and channeling new capital into a standardized narrowbody fleet, primarily Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. The carrier has already reduced its fleet from around 30 aircraft to fewer than 10, focusing on cost optimization and core domestic and regional routes. The new leasing platform is intended to provide a more sustainable financing model for future fleet additions while FLC and Bamboo Airways continue negotiations with creditors and infrastructure operators over legacy liabilities and bad debt.