Hanoi - Vietnam's first private airline, VietJetAir, plans
to operate its first commercial flight late next year, a company
executive said Thursday at the official licensing ceremony.
The airline plans to initially operate flights between Hanoi, Ho
Chi Minh City and Danang City, using either Boeing 737 or Airbus A320
aircrafts, VietJetAir general director Nguyen Duc Tam said.
Domestic flights are currently provided exclusively by the
government-owned flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, and its wholly-owned
subsidiary Pacific Airlines. Tour operators and travelers have long
complained about the absence of alternatives.
'We will compete with existing airlines with customer services and
prices, which will be both competitive but still profitable,' said
Robert Hugh, the company's public relation officer. 'Our strategy is
to go after overpriced and under-served routes.'
With chartered capital of 600 billion dong (37.5 million dollars),
the airline plans to lease between three and five airplanes for
operations in the first year.
'We haven't signed an aircraft-hiring contract yet, but we will
hire planes from international agencies,' said general director Tam.
VietJetAir plans to follow the model US's Southwest Airlines,
focusing on such factors as city-to-city flights, short-haul flights
of between one and four hours, two-class cabin, service around the
clock, using one type of planes and broad ticketing channels,
including through the internet.
'Building a safe airline as well availability of aircraft is the
determining factor for us now,' said Ted Walters, director of flight
operations of VietJetAir. 'Safety and convenience for our passengers
is our first priority.'
The company plans to eventually fly to all 60 domestic airports in
Vietnam and also to serve regional destinations, such as Singapore,
Hong Kong, Bangkok, South Korea and Japan.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
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