Vietnam-US Direct Air Service Delayed until Mid-2008

The plan to launch a direct air route between Vietnam and the US has been delayed until the second quarter of 2008, one year later than initially planned, as the US side has required Vietnam’s airlines to strengthen the system on security management and train air guards, said Lai Xuan Thanh, Deputy Head of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV).

 

Thanh said the US side has many requirements for airlines wanting to open air routes stateside. In addition to requirements on security, the US also requested to be provided passenger lists on flights to the US and their personal information, to be provided four hours before planes take off.

 

The requirement has not been set before by any country, Thanh said. However, the US is considered the No 1 aviation market that all airlines in the world target, therefore, Vietnam Airlines will have to fulfill the requirements despite the big difficulties.

 

He said in the first year of Vietnam – US direct air route operation, Vietnam may incur losses of $20-30 million. However, the national flag carrier hopes to recover capital in 3-4 years, as the US proves to be a market with great potential.

 

Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked Vietnam Airlines to open the Vietnam – US direct air route by the end of 2007 at the latest. Vietnam Airlines had also announced the service as beginning in the first quarter of 2007. (VietNamNet, Vnexpress)