VietJet has been ordered by London’s Commercial Court to pay more than $18 million in additional costs linked to two Airbus A321neo leases after a third trial in the long-running dispute with FW Aviation. The judgment, handed down on 31 July 2026, upheld FW Aviation’s claims over indemnity provisions covering aircraft restoration, export from Vietnam and lost rental income after the leases were terminated.
The case concerns four Airbus A321 aircraft leased to VietJet and terminated after rental defaults in October 2021. Redelivery did not take place until December 2022, and the court found the aircraft were returned in a condition that failed to meet the contractual return requirements. Mr Justice Birt delivered the ruling after a three-and-a-half-week trial in March 2026.
The latest decision follows earlier judgments in FW Aviation’s favour on liability in July 2024 and quantum in April 2025, when the court had already awarded more than $181 million in termination sums and liquidated damages. The new award narrows some claims while rejecting others, but it reinforces the separate recovery available under lease indemnities in a JOLCO structure, a point of direct relevance to aircraft lessors and airlines in cross-border lease enforcement.