National flag carrier licensed by US Department of Transportation for commercial transport of passengers and cargo between two countries.
Vietnam Airlines has been officially licensed by the US Department of Transportation for the commercial transport of passengers and cargo between Vietnam and the US.
This is one of many conditions for an airline to fly to the US. Vietnam Airlines is permitted to operate flights between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to some US destinations, perhaps through transit destinations in Taipei (Taiwan, China) and Osaka and Nagoya (Japan).
US destinations include Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Dallas / Fort Worth. The carrier can also operate non-stop flights from the US to the cities of Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto in Canada.
Vietnam Airlines is also licensed to operate routes from destinations outside Vietnam, via Vietnam or other transit points to 25 destinations in the US under codeshare arrangements. This license also allows it to operate charter flights between the two countries.
Vietnam Airlines is the first and only airline in Vietnam to receive such as license from the US Department of Transportation, which is an important step in it preparing for direct flight to the US in the near future.
In addition to this license, Vietnam Airlines will also need to continue carrying out other licensing procedures with other US agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and a number of other competent agencies and organizations before officially operating direct flights to the US.
Vietnam Airlines and the US’s second-largest airline, Delta Air Lines, previously signed an agreement for a two-way joint venture, expected to begin in October. Passengers need only book and check-in once with Vietnam Airlines or Delta Air Lines to travel to the US via connecting flights in Tokyo or Frankfurt (Germany). This is the first step in Vietnam Airlines exploring the US-Vietnam market.
Early this year, the FAA issued CAT 1 certification to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), which is considered a new step in aviation cooperation between the two countries. This is an initial condition for Vietnamese airlines to set up non-stop services to the US and to cooperate with US airlines.
After the CAAV meets all its standards, the FAA will continue to assess the capacity of each airline in Vietnam. During this time, Vietnam Airlines is officially licensed by the US Department of Transportation, which contributes to affirming the quality of services and capacity to ensure flight safety of Vietnam Airlines’ flights in particular and Vietnam’s aviation sector in general.
Source: Vneconomictimes