Officials of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency are expected to arrive later this month to ink new pacts for the next phases of an ongoing project aimed to enhance the safety oversight capacity of Vietnam's civil aviation authority.
Lai Xuan Thanh, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), said the first phase of the project had been completed and the U.S. agency's representatives would come in preparation for the next phases.
Thanh told the Daily on the phone on Wednesday that the U.S. government was providing US$1.4 million to assist in implementing the whole project in three phases.
Thanh said the project was proceeding slower than scheduled and this had delayed the launch of direct air service by Vietnam airlines between the two countries. The service, scheduled for launching late this year, would not be translated into reality until mid-2009, he added.
Therefore, CAAV needs more time to complete the project aimed at enhancing the safety oversight capability to meet international standards and all requirements for the air route.
A statement released early this year by the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said the U.S. welcomed Vietnam Airlines' filing for a foreign air carrier permit with the U.S. Department of Transportation, and that the permit would allow for direct HCMC-Los Angeles service.
"The U.S. stands ready to help CAAV and Vietnam Airlines upgrade its safety capacity and looks forward to the opening of direct air service to the U.S.," the statement says.
CAAV is now doing its utmost to improve its safety oversight capacity, which is a requirement for the approval process. "While the process for compliance can be lengthy, it is straightforward and transparent," the statement says.
Under the International Aviation Safety Oversight Assessment Program, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration assesses all foreign civil aviation authorities whose air carriers fly to the U.S. in order to ascertain compliance with standards for air safety oversight by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
In addition, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration must determine that foreign airports used by foreign air carriers for direct service to the U.S. meet international standards for aviation security.
Thanh said the U.S. would grant approval for the direct service between Vietnam and the U.S. when the project is completed.
The direct air service will offer opportunities for bolstering bilateral trade and tourism, thereby enhancing Vietnam's participation in the global economy.
Thanh said Vietnam Airlines needed more time to solve technical issues until the end of this year. The shortage of modern aircraft is also one of the major challenges Vietnam must overcome if the national flag carrier wants to fly stateside.
Vietnam Airlines now has more than 50 aircraft, and plans to expand its fleet to 86 in 2015 and 110 in 2020 to cater to the increasing domestic and international demand for air travel, including on the flights between the U.S. and Vietnam.
United Airlines is the only U.S. carrier to operate a daily direct flight between Vietnam and America via Hong Kong.
Joe Mannix, general manager of United Airlines in Vietnam, said this carrier had posted a double-digit increase in passenger revenue for the first half of 2008 and saw this positive trend continuing in the near term.
(Source: SGT)
Tag: Airlines , Airlines In Vietnam , Airport , Flight , Hanoi , Hcm , International , Tour , Tourism , Travel , Vietnam , Vietnam Airlines U.S. agency to ink new phases of air safety project - Vietnam Airlines
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