Vietnam Airlines says it will not fly to U.S. until mid-2006
Vietnam Airlines has pushed back plans to fly to the United States until mid-2006, state-controlled media reported Saturday.
The communist country's national carrier had hoped to begin flights to San Francisco by the end of this year or early next year, but the airline has not completed discussions with aviation authorities in South Korea, China and Japan to determine the best stopover for the U.S. route, the Youth newspaper quoted Vietnam Airlines deputy general director Pham Ngoc Minh as saying.
In December, United Airlines became the first American carrier to fly to Vietnam since the war ended 30 years ago. It currently offers direct flights from southern Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco via Hong Kong.
Passenger volume from the United States to Vietnam has grown 15 percent to 20 percent annually in recent years.
Agence France Presse - May 28, 2005.
|