Vietnam Airlines (VN, Hanoi Noi Bai International) intends to launch flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles International by the end of 2019, using either B777X or A350-1000 capacity, Executive Vice President Le Hong Ha said during a media briefing in Hanoi.
The Vietnamese carrier is likely to order four aircraft of the type, Le was quoted as saying by Flightglobal.
In its report, Flightglobal points out that it might be difficult for the airline to obtain new B777-8s or B777-9s earlier than in 2021. On the contrary, the airline would have a better chance to get the Airbus jets sooner. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Vietnam Airlines currently operates a fleet of nine A350-900 with a further five on order. The airline has also signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for a further twelve aircraft of the type. Some of the unfulfilled orders could be converted to the larger A350-1000s.
Le added that if Vietnam Airlines fails to acquire new aircraft by 2019, it still intends to launch flights to Los Angeles operated with an A350-900 with a technical stop in Osaka Kansai.
The carrier needs aircraft with extended range since the distance to Los Angeles is over 7,000 nm. Currently, the longest route served by Vietnam Airlines is Ho Chi Minh City-London Heathrow at less than 6,400 nm.
Besides the fleet expansion, the carrier requires Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) approval. Currently, Vietnam is not included in the FAA-run International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme. This means that Vietnamese carriers are not permitted to operate to the US. Le expects that by May 2018 Vietnam will receive IASA Category 1 designation, meaning full ICAO compliance, which will open the path to the launch of the flights.
