National carrier Vietnam Airlines in 1999
HANOI - National carrier Vietnam Airlines
said on Wednesday it expected a stronger financial performance
this year on a slight increase in passengers after making a small
profit in 1999.
An airline executive, speaking by telephone, said profit details
for 1999 and forecasts for this year were not immediately
available.
Vietnam Airlines was a corporate success story until the Asian
economic crisis bit into arrivals in 1997, sending the company
into the red that year and also in 1998.
The executive said the airline expected total revenues to rise 4.9
percent this year to 7,133 billion dong ($508.7 million) from
6,800 billion dong in 1999.
Passenger numbers were forecast to increase by one percent to
2.53 million this year, he added.
Vietnam has said it hopes to receive two million foreign visitors
this year with help from a national promotional programme.
That would mark an increase in foreign arrivals of 17.6 percent
from 1999. Vietnam lumps tourist figures with total arrivals,
which also include business and official visitors.
Reuters - January 5, 2000.
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