The USA and Vietnam are closing on an air services agreement after years of talks that could lead to US carriers serving Vietnam from next year.
No formal air services agreement exists between the USA and Vietnam, preventing their airlines from operating to one another's country. But the last round of talks held in Hanoi in March were described as positive by both sides, and Vietnam Airlines says there are signs a formal deal will be reached at the next round of talks that are due in June. "We expect that US carriers will be here in Vietnam next year," says Vietnam Airlines director of marketing planning Luong Hoai Nam.
Although Vietnam Airlines has no immediate plans to start flying to the USA with its own aircraft, it believes that "more than one" US carrier will have operating rights to Vietnam under any bilateral agreement.
The two sides have held talks on a bilateral for around five years. In early 2000 a "stopgap" codeshare deal was reached that allows carriers from both sides to operate to the other country by adding their codes to flights operated by third-country airlines.
Source: Airline Business
