Vietnam and the United States are discussing a plan to launch direct air links between the two countries. Los Angeles is being considered the first destination for air services, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, is eligible for operating direct flights to the United States 

Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho on July 27 held a meeting with Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City mayor, to discuss cooperative plans in air transport. Addressing the meeting, the mayor remarked that his city boasts robust growth in transportation, including seaports, airways, expressways, and a downtown railway, adding that 40% of commodities entering the United States arrive through the city’s ports.

As for airways, the number of Vietnamese people annually arriving in Los Angeles is estimated at 260,000. For this reason, the city might be the best choice for opening direct flights between Vietnam and the United States, the mayor added. In addition, Garcetti asserted that Los Angeles authorities will create favorable conditions to execute the plan and will help promote mutual cooperation in other fields involving local transport.

The deputy minister stressed that the collaboration between the two nations was fruitful, especially in terms of trade, with revenue reaching US$41.6 billion last year, while Los Angeles made up over 30% of the country’s total trade income. The large Vietnamese diaspora living and working in Los Angeles makes the city a suitable place for executing the air transport plan.

The ministry has taken note of the plan and has assigned the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) and the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines (VNA), to conduct further studies. It will also create favorable conditions so that the two nations can make more progress with the plan. Besides this, Tho suggested the Los Angeles authorities support Vietnam in terms of essential procedures if the direct air route is launched.

Vietnam has enormous potential for facilitating air service cooperation in particular and other transportation sectors in general with the United States, as it is currently operating 21 airports and looking to expand to some 28 airports nationwide by 2030, particularly in key economic zones, stated Tho. Moreover, it is working on a feasibility study for Long Thanh International Airport, with a designed total capacity of 100 million passengers and five million commodities per year, alongside the sharp growth of the local aviation sector between 2011 and 2017.

Earlier in July, CAAV requested the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to assess CAAV’s aviation safety oversight this August, based on prevailing U.S. regulations that stipulate a foreign air carrier can only be permitted to launch air services to the United States when that country’s national aviation authority meets international standards for aviation safety. The assessment result of the FFA will play a crucial role in deciding whether Vietnam can open a direct air route to the United States.

With regard to VNA, a representative noted that the carrier had made the initial preparations for aircraft and pilots and was waiting for the plan for nonstop air services to go into effect. If the United States completes all necessary assessments on safety this year, VNA will operate direct flights to the country next year.

SGT