HANOI, 3 November 2021: Despite Vietnam suffering spikes in Covid-19 infections, two national airlines have announced this week they will start long-haul services to the UK and the UK
Local media reported that Vietnam Airlines plans to resume flights to the US at the end of the month while Bamboo Airlines, a relatively new airline, claims has applied for rights to fly to the UK.
According to the Vietnam News Agency, quoting an airline statement, the US Transportation Security Administration gave Vietnam Airlines the green light after a recent safety audit check. It opens the door for the national airline to fly commercial services from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco International Airport in California.
Flights to SFO will start once the Federal Aviation Administration issues an operating permit.
Both Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways already had permits to offer ad-hoc charter flights to and from the US and the UK for repatriation purposes since the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020.
Meanwhile, Bamboo Airways announced its decision to start Vietnam-UK direct flights during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to COP26 the climate change summit underway this week in Glasgow Scotland.
According to VNExpress, “Bamboo Airways chairman Trinh Van Quyet claimed direct flights could commence as early as this year once resumption of commercial flights between the two countries has been approved.
The airline said it plans to operate six flights weekly from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to London a flight that takes around 12 hours using a Boeing Dreamliner 787-9.
The airline has signed a ground handling agreement with APG UK, to provide passenger and cargo representation.
