VIETJET AVIATION JOINT STOCK COMPANY v FW AVIATION (HOLDINGS) 1 LIMITED

Case Significance

The Appellate Division of the High Court — comprising Kannan Ramesh JAD and See Kee Oon JAD (delivering the judgment) — decided this procedural application on 21 April 2026. VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company applied (AD/OA 14/2026) for permission to appeal against the High Court General Division's dismissal of its challenge to a substituted service order. The underlying dispute involved FW Aviation (Holdings) 1 Limited, which had obtained orders from the English High Court and sought to register those orders as judgments of the Singapore High Court (the Registration Order). FW Aviation then obtained a Substituted Service Order (HC/SUM 2125/2025) to serve the Registration Order and related notices on VietJet outside Singapore. VietJet applied to set aside the Substituted Service Order in HC/SUM 2400/2025 but was refused by the Deputy Registrar; the General Division dismissed VietJet's appeal in HC/RA 247/2025, leading to this Appellate Division application.

The legal questions concerned whether the appeal raised issues of general principle regarding the framework for substituted service out of Singapore under the Rules of Court 2021, and the threshold for granting leave to appeal under the Supreme Court of Judicature Act. The case is significant for cross-border enforcement of English High Court orders through Singapore and the procedural mechanics of out-of-jurisdiction substituted service. VietJet was represented by Francis Xavier, Dr Colin Ong KC, Cheong Tian Ci Torsten, and Ku Chern Ying Vanessa of Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP and Eldan Law LLP; FW Aviation was represented by Lin Weiqi Wendy and Sean Koh Yi Wei of WongPartnership LLP.