Vietnam Airlines may start flights to Germany, Indonesia
HONG KONG - Vietnam Airlines, the country's national carrier, may
start flights to Germany and Indonesia as the communist country widens
investment and communications links with the rest of the world.
'We are now conducting a very serious study,' said Duong Tri Thanh,
director of passenger marketing. 'The result will be known in the next
two months.'
Vietnam is opening up to outside investment to other parts of the world
as it turns from a communist economy to what the government calls 'a
market economy with a socialist orientation'.
Economic growth in the South-east Asian country has averaged about 7
per cent during the past decade.
The carrier is also
planning to fly direct
from Vietnam to
France, Mr Thanh
said.
It currently operates
three weekly flights
to Paris from Hanoi
and three from Ho
Chi Minh. Both of
them stop in Dubai.
The carrier will take
delivery of 6 Boeing
Co 777 planes next
year to replace older
Boeing 767 planes and expand its fleet, Mr Thanh said.
Four of them were bought from Boeing last year and two were leased
from International Lease Finance Corp.
Vietnam Airlines operates 29 aircraft, including 10 Airbus SAS 320s,
two A321s, eight B767s, seven ATR72s and two Fokker 70s.
It bought five Airbus SAS A320 in October, which will be delivered
between 2003 and 2005.
Boeing sees the potential demand for as many as four more B777
airplanes from Vietnam Airlines, Reuters reported.
'At the moment, we are not going to buy more,' Mr Thanh said.
'We may need a fleet of 40 to 50 airplanes in the coming five to 10
years.'
Bloomberg - December 16, 2002.
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