Bamboo Airways talks up ambitious Vietnam-USA routes

Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways is poised to launch direct charter services to the US West Coast, with a long-term eye on California’s Vietnamese diaspora. The airline confirms that it will launch the direct charters from the end of June or beginning of July with Boeing 787-9s. Should the flights take place, it would mark the first direct service between the two countries. “The United States is a potential market, as California alone has the largest overseas Vietnamese community in the world. Despite the considerable demand for travel, there is no non-stop flight connecting Vietnam and the US at the moment,” says the carrier. “Besides, US-Vietnam trade is being significantly promoted, which will lead to a higher travel and trade exchanges demand.” The airline has also secured landing slots for both San Francisco and Los Angeles from 1 September, although these will only be used should international travel be reopened and favourable market conditions prevail. Direct services between Vietnam and the USA have been mooted for several years. In the mid-2010s, low-cost carrier VietJet said the US would be a key destination were it to launch a long-haul, low-cost operation.<br/>