The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has authorised Bamboo Airways (QH, Hanoi Noi Bai International) to operate 12 charter flights to any point in the United States, making it the carrier's first foray into the coveted US market.
Deputy general manager Nguyen Ngoc Trong said that the first non-stop charter flights to the US could be operated by the end of 2020 or in early 2021, depending on further developments of the pandemic in the US.
The carrier has yet to apply for a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP) or exemption authority, which would enable it to launch scheduled services to the US.
Bamboo Airways has long floated the idea of becoming the first carrier to launch direct services between Viet Nam and the US. It is targeting West Coast airports, most likely Los Angeles International or San Francisco. In 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) updated Viet Nam's assessment to Category 1, thus enabling the launch of direct flights.
The Vietnamese carrier, owned by travel holding FLC Group, has yet to launch any scheduled long-haul flights. The airline was about to commence services from Hanoi Noi Bai International to Prague Václav Havel in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the market. Since then, the carrier has operated multiple long-haul repatriation flights.
Bamboo Airways will use B787-9s for its forthcoming long-haul services. It has three units of the type with a further eleven awaiting delivery, including ten directly from Boeing. Faced with the closure of most international markets, the airline is currently using two of its B787-9s to operate domestic flights, mainly between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as services to Seoul Incheon and international charter flights. The third B787-9 remains parked at Ho Chi Minh City airport.
Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines (VN, Hanoi Noi Bai International) previously said that while it would contemplate launching services to the US, they would have to be subsidised by the government due to low-yield demand.
