Bamboo Airways eyeing 29 December launch

Vietnam startup carrier Bamboo Airways is eyeing 29 December for its first flight, which would keep with its timeline of starting operations before the end of the year. The 29 December date was disclosed by parent FLC Group in a statement related to an agreement between it and state-owned companies Petrolimix, Petrolimix Aviation Fuel and Petrolimix Insurance. Petrolimix Aviation Fuel will support the airline’s fuel, and the insurance arm will be the airline’s preferred insurance provider. In turn, the two units will make Bamboo their preferred provider. The statement adds that Bamboo will start operations with 10 aircraft, growing to 20 in the first quarter of 2019. Bamboo Airways received its air transport business licence in early November, but still needs an air operators’ certificate before launching services. The carrier had planned to start services on 10 October, but this date passed without a launch, apparently owing to holdups with its AOC. Bamboo's website is not yet selling tickets. The airline plans to link Northeast Asia to FLC resorts in secondary Vietnamese cities such as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Quang Binh, Phu Quoc, and Nha Trang. <br/>