Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese airlines are now able to fly to the US andcodeshare with US carriers after the US Department of Transportation’s FederalAviation Administration (FAA) declared that the Southeast Asian countrycomplies with international safety standards under the agency’s InternationalAviation Safety Assessment programme.

The US Embassy in Vietnam officially granted its host country with the Category1 (CAT 1) rating on February 15.

According to Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV)Dinh Viet Thang, acquiring the CAT 1 will help to elevate Vietnamese airlines’position and prestige to a new high.

There are currently no direct flightsbetween Vietnam and the US, thus passengers are currently having to transit indifferent countries and territories like China, Hong Kong, and Japan.

The Vietnamese Government had approved plans earlylast year to expand the network of national carriers to major markets includingAustralia, China, Europe, and the US.

Vietnam and the US signed an air transportagreement in 2003 to allow carriers from each country to operate unlimiteddirect air services in both directions. 

In 2004, Vietnam Airlines sought permission fromthe US to provide direct services. However, the request was denied because theCivil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) did not meet the safetysupervision requirements set by the FAA.

After that, the CAAV made concerted efforts to advance progress in safety andair navigation with strong support from Boeing – the world’s leadingmanufacturer of commercial jetliners, as well as defence, space, and securitysystems – and the work has now finally paid off.

Thang said that attaining the CAT 1 rating has been a hard job, but that maintainingthe status is much more difficult, especially as the aviation sector isexperiencing strong growth, with dramatic increases in the number of airplanesand airports, as well as heavy air traffic.

Meanwhile, the FAA requires competent authorities to unceasingly improve their managementcapacity, of which human resources training must be at the centre of attention.

Regarding plans to open direct flights to the US, Thang said Vietnam Airlines, low-costVietjet Air, and the new comer Bamboo Airways desire to fly to the Americannation.

While exploring the potential of the US route, Vietnamese airlines should alsobe well-prepared before entering this fastidious market, he said.

Several challenges still lay ahead, including investment in the long-haul fleetwhich will be quite costly, fierce competition with foreign airlines, and a complicatedjustice system to work with, he stressed. –VNA