Vietnam Airlines To Fly To US with A350-1000

Vietnam Airlines To Fly To US with A350-1000

Vietnam Airlines To Fly To US with A350-1000. Vietnam Airlines is determined to launch services to the United States by the end of 2019, with more clarity expected soon on the status of the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States.

The Skyteam operator is evaluating both the Boeing 777X and the Airbus A350-1000 for the 7.098nm Ho Chi Minh City-Los Angeles route, says Vietnam Airlines executive VP Le Hong Ha.

"The flight time is quite long, more than 16 hours," he says. "The salable payload is very important for us, so we are studying which aircraft, depending on the performance, allows us to launch the route at the end of 2019."

The possible acquisition would involve four aircraft. If the 777X is selected, it is likely that the aircraft will be available for Vietnam Airlines in 2021.

He made the remarks during a meeting with reporters at the company's headquarters in Hanoi.

Although Le did not specify the 777X variant under consideration, the range of 777-8 is 8,700nm, while the 777-9 largest is 7,600nm. The range of the A350-1000 is listed at 8,000nm.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that Vietnam Airlines, which operates 10 A355-900, will see three additional examples delivered in 2018, and a final aircraft delivered in 2019. It also has a letter of intent for 12 A350-900 beyond this. Some of these could be converted to A350-1000.

In case the airline does not have the plane to launch the direct services at the end of 2019, it plans to launch the service with an A350-900, which will make a technical stop in Osaka, Japan.

It is also understood by the Vietnamese government that Vietnam will receive FAA 1 status in May 2018. At present, the country does not have an FAA category rating, which prevents Vietnamese airlines from launching services in the US. UU

He adds that the flow of passengers between the United States and Vietnam is one of the largest in the world without direct links. The market is now served through centers in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China.

Despite the challenges for Vietnamese citizens obtaining US visas, he expects demand from the US side to be sufficient to lead the route.