Bamboo Airways licensed for 12 direct flights from Vietnam-US

Bamboo Airways will choose the Boeing 787-9 aircraft to fly directly from Vietnam to the US. (Photo: CTV/Vietnam+)

Bamboo Airways has basically completed the most important and rigorous preparations to be ready to launch regular direct commercial flights connecting Vietnam and the US from the end of 2021 and early 2022.

Specifically, in the latest license just granted to Bamboo Airways by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA), 12 direct flights between Vietnam and the US operated by Bamboo Airways are scheduled from September to November 2021, with departure and landing points at key international airports: Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi), Da Nang International Airport (Da Nang) in Vietnam; San Francisco International Airport (California), Los Angeles International Airport (California), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Washington) in the US.

In particular, the first direct test flight was conducted by Bamboo Airways from September 23, paving the way for a series of activities in the US including signing a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation with San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport; opening the official representative office of Bamboo Airways in the US; working with aircraft manufacturer Boeing, agency partners...

Previously, from May 2021, Bamboo Airways was officially assigned to operate charter flights to the US. The airline was granted regular direct flight slots (takeoffs and landings) from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The US is considered the most demanding aviation market in the world. According to the US Federal Civil Aviation Law, to be able to operate regular commercial flights to the US, licenses from the US Department of Transportation (DOT), the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are considered the three most important conditions.

In particular, the TSA licensing process is considered a decisive "procedural barrier" because of the strictness and thoroughness of this stage. TSA approval for flight licensing will be an important stepping stone to facilitate the FAA to complete the final procedural processes.

The review and assessment covers all aspects related to the preparation and implementation of flights, but is not limited to security programs, flight crews, engineering, flight dispatch, ground services, passenger and cargo information, etc.

In addition to the fact that airlines need to be approved by TSA for their entire system to fly to the US, international airports in Vietnam must also be confirmed by TSA to meet aviation security requirements, as well as the ability of local airports to provide services to Vietnamese airlines on US territory.

Currently, Bamboo Airways is cooperating with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to test the IATA Travel Pass vaccine passport from the fourth quarter, serving the plan to reopen the international flight network in general and the direct flight to the US in particular smoothly and safely.

According to Vietnam+