VietNamNet Bridge – The national flag air carrier Vietnam Airlines has
decided to accept losses with launching direct air routes to the US. Meanwhile,
Jetstar Pacific and Indochina Airlines are also moving ahead with their plans to
provide international flights.
However, the situation will change soon when domestic air carriers are planning
to fly internationally.
Opening direct air routes to UK, US
Vietnam Airlines has said that after a preparation period, the air carrier has
completed necessary procedures to open the direct air route to the UK, scheduled
for the last months of the year.
If this comes true, this will be its fourth direct air route to Europe. The
other three include the ones from Hanoi/HCM City to Moscow (Russia), to Paris
(France) and Frankfurt (Germany).
The destination for Vietnam Airlines in the UK is Gatwick airport, located 46
kilometers south of London, which is listed among the 10 biggest airports in the
world. As such, Vietnam Airlines will be the first and the only air carrier
which develops the direct route between Vietnam and the UK. It is expected that
Vietnam Airlines will provide four flights a week with Boeing 777, while the
number of flights would increase to seven per week from 2014.
According to TransViet, the official booking agent of many international
airlines in Vietnam, about 10 international airlines are developing the air
route between Vietnam and the UK. There have been not many sale promotion
campaigns applied to the air route, but the air tickets are really competitive.
The airlines which have become familiar on the route from Vietnam to the UK are
British Airways, Polish LOT, Thai Airways, and Singapore Airline. However, all
the airlines arrange one point of transit in their itineraries. Meanwhile,
Emirates Airlines set two points of transit in Bangkok and Dubai.
The US is really considered an important market for Vietnam Airlines. In the
latest news, the Federal Aviation Administration FAA will test the flight safety
monitoring capability in accordance with IASA International Air & Shipping
Association. If CAAV can meet the requirements of the test, the official
assessment will be carried out later, which allows the authority to grant
licenses to Vietnam Airlines to open direct flights to the US.
In the first period of providing direct flights to the US, Vietnam Airlines
foresees that it would incur the loss of 20 million dollars a year, the highest
loss level in comparison with other international air routes.
CAAV has said that Vietnam is determined to open the direct air route to the US,
not only aiming to a commercial purpose, but also aiming to polish the brand,
because the US is considered the hardest market in the world.
In order to mark one’s name in the world’s aviation map, a nation has to
successfully invite the US’ airlines to open air routes to the countries, while
the countries have to have the airlines capable to provide flights to the US.
The aviation agreement between Vietnam and the US was inked 10 years ago, but to
date, only the US has had airlines opening air routes to Vietnam. In 2007,
Vietnam Airlines asked the US authorities to grant license to provide flights
from HCM City to Los Angeles in California. However, the air carrier later had
to withdraw, because CAAV was not ready for the flight safety monitoring
capability test.
Other airlines plan to fly soon
In the past, Pacific Airlines (now Jetstar Pacific) once provided flights to
Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan. However, the air carrier has stopped
providing flights to the destinations when it was restructured.
However, the budget airline now attempts to resume the flights to Taiwan.
Among private airlines, VietJet Air is the only air carrier which has the right
to provide international flights when it has the legal capital of 500 billion
dong. However, the airline has not become operational yet.
In a recent statement, General Director of Indochina Airlines, Ha Dung said that
the airline plans to raise the legal capital to 500 billion dong in order to
obtain the right to fly internationally.
Source: NLD
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