VIETNAM AIRLINES

ABOUT VIETNAM AIRLINES

 
                                                                    

History

Vietnam Airlines has its origins in January 1956, when it was established by the North Vietnamese government under the name Vietnam Civil Aviation following the nationalization of Gia Lam Airport. It was instituted after the government signed the Decree No. 666/TTg. The airline was created as part of the air force for civilian purposes with support from both the Soviet Union and China; initially, its fleet consisted of two Lisunov Li-2s that were later replaced by two Ilyushin Il-14 and three Aero Ae-45s. This was due to an embargo that prohibited the airline from leasing and/or buying American technology or components.
 

The airline's development and expansion was seriously hampered by the Vietnam War (1954–1975). Following the war, its first international destination was Beijing, followed by Vientiane in 1976. During that year, the airline was known as General Department of Civil Aviation in Vietnam, and began full operations; it carried around 21,000 passengers, one-third of whom were on international flights, and 3,000 tonnes (6,600,000 lb) of cargo. In 1978, another important destination of Vietnam Airlines was added, with flights offered to Bangkok. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the expansion of the network to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore.
 

Training

 

Subsidiaries and affiliates

 

Aircraft maintenance and production

 

Vietnam Airlines is increasingly becoming involved in the maintenance, overhauling, and production of aircraft. Maintenance works are carried out by Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company (VAECO), that was established on 1 January 2009. VAECO was organized mainly upon the amalgamation of the A75 and A76 aircraft maintenance bases. VAECO carries out maintenance and technical services for Vietnam Airlines as well as for other airlines. The establishment of this company opens a new era to the aircraft maintenance field in Vietnam. As of 2013, VAECO was capable of performing a wide range of maintenance on many different aircraft types; this includes C-checks for the Boeing 777, Airbus A330, Airbus A320 and Airbus A321; and D-checks, the most thorough of all maintenance procedures, which are carried out on the ATR 72 and Fokker 70.
 

In addition to its self maintenance facilities, Vietnam Airlines also has maintenance contracts with other airlines and maintenance organisations.
 

There are currently no production facilities in Vietnam for aircraft and spare parts. However, Boeing has managed to obtain 35% of the distribution market in Vietnam, and GE Aviation, in turn, supplies jet engines for the Boeing aircraft. For the future, conversely, Vietnam Airlines is planning to build a maintenance factory in conjunction with Roll Royce and other companies. It has also signed a memorandum of understanding with EADS, a pan-European aerospace and defence corporation, that would let the corporation assemble and manufacture plane components in the future.
 

Tết flights

                                                                          

Vietnam Airlines have traditionally increased flights among Vietnamese cities to cater for the heavy demands brought by the annual Tet celebration. This busy period, which could fall anywhere from late January to mid-February, is Vietnam's most important celebration; hundreds of extra flights are scheduled by domestic airlines during this period to allow Vietnamese to return to their families, often in rural areas, to celebrate the occasion. In 2010, the airline increased its seat capacity from 45% to 120% on certain domestic routes. In 2011, it increased additional flights on ten routes, adding more than 100,000 seats. About 63,000 of these seats were between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This represented a remarkable 41% increase against normal days. In 2013, the carrier added an extra 174,000 seats during the celebratory period, of which 82,000 seats were on the trunk route between its primary hubs.

Fleet

                                                                         
   

Aircraft	In service	Orders
Airbus A320 neo	-	5
Airbus A321-200	48	-
Airbus A321 neo	20	-
Airbus A350-900	14	-
ATR 72 -500	2	-
Boeing 787 -9	11	-
Boeing 787 -10	4	4