Vietnam Airlines will be allowed to conduct flights to transport passengers, cargoes and letters from Hanoi and HCM City to some cities in the US such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth with transit in Taiwan and Japan.
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has been granted a foreign air carrier permit by the US Department for Transport to provide flights to the country.
Under the permit, the firm can also continue operating flights from the US to Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto in Canada.
A representative from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said that the licence was an important move following the recent US granting of Category 1 aviation safety rating to Vietnam Airlines. This would be a key foundation for the launch of direct flights between Vietnam and the US in the future.
“Vietnam Airlines would need around two years to complete key legal procedures for the US-Vietnam air route. The firm would face an annual loss of some USD30 million in the first five years of operation before breaking even,” said Duong Tri Thanh, Chairman of Vietnam Airlines.
Meanwhile, Zoe Leong, Boeing’s communications manager in Asia-Pacific region, said that Vietnam Airlines’ current aircrafts like Boeing 787-9 and Boeing 787-10 were not able to provide direct flights to the US, and would need to transit via a third country.
Leong added that Boeing 777X could conduct direct flights from Vietnam to the US. Presently, 12 airlines in have ordered the aircraft, but that did not include Vietnam Airlines.
