Vietnam Airlines said that this is the right time to open a direct air route to the US, followingv12 repatriation flights that carried Vietnamese from the US back home in May 2020.

According to the national airline, many Vietnamese in the US want to return home but since August 2020, it has used its flight quota allowed by US authorities.

To serve the needs of the Vietnamese community in the US, Vietnam Airlines needs to continue to organize repatriation flights and ask for permits for commercial flights.

In the context of the surplus of wide-body aircraft, the national air carrier believes that the opening of the air route to the US will help it increase revenue and minimize financial losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This plan will include two phases, with the first stage starting immediately after Vietnam Airlines completes all legal procedures for flight permits with the US authorities until it fully serves all Vietnamese who want to return home.

Vietnam Airlines will open flights in the form of regular commercial operations, serving the repatriation needs of Vietnamese in the US, and travel between the two countries for diplomats, civil servants, experts and businesspeople, students, and foreign relatives.

Based on the recovery of the aviation market between the two countries when Covid-19 is under control, Vietnam Airlines will continue to use regular commercial flights between Vietnam and the US in 2022.

Vu Diep

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