Vietnam/US: FAA reviews Vietnam’s aviation safety standards

The FAA sent a team to Vietnam earlier this month to conduct a safety assessment, according to Vietnamese regulators. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) said the FAA delegation was in Vietnam from Aug. 13. Vietnam is attempting to gain a Category 1 safety rating from the FAA, which is required for any Vietnam-based airlines to launch service to the US. Some countries, such as Thailand, have been downgraded by the FAA to Category 2. However, Vietnam is not in this category as it has not been rated by the FAA before. “The FAA will make an announcement if Vietnam is assigned a rating under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program in the future,” an FAA spokesman said. “To achieve a Category 1 rating under the [IASA] program, a country must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO.” Vietnam was last audited by ICAO under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program in 2016.<br/>