Vietnam Airlines Unable to Fly to the US This Year
The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has said that it would be unable to conduct direct flights to the US this year, partly due to aircraft shortage, according to Vice General Director Pham Ngoc Minh.
Minh said Vietnam Airlines would be able to receive only one new plane in 2006, less than its expected volume of five to serve long-distance routes.
Airbus and Boeing groups have announced that their large aircraft are intended for the two big markets of China and India, Minh added.
In addition, Vietnam Airlines has still not reached full agreement with the US on procedures and stopovers for its flights, according to the official. The US is now home to more than 1.2 million overseas Vietnamese.
The carrier’s General Director Nguyen Xuan Hien has recently warned that if the carrier is unable to lease more planes, it can only attain a growth of 5-6 per cent this year, lower than its expected growth rate of 14 per cent. Hien said Vietnam Airlines wants to lease four more A320s and a couple Boeing 777 aircraft, but there seems to be a shortage in the world market of these kinds of aircraft available for lease.
In 2004 Vietnam Airlines signed contracts to buy a number of Boeing 777s, ten A321s and four Boeing 787s, however, they will not be delivered until between 2008 and 2010. The carrier is in urgent need of more aircraft to meet travel demand.
Vietnam Airlines now flies to 16 domestic and 27 international destinations.
Youth
Vietnamese
