This was the first regular direct flight from the US toVietnam operated by a Vietnamese airline. Vietnam Airlines is now the onlyVietnamese carrier providing direct service between the two countries.
According to the national flag carrier, the non-stop flightcoded VN99 took off from San Francisco International Airport at 11:28pm onNovember 29 (local time) and landed in the central city of Da Nang at 6:03am onDecember 1 (Vietnam time).
Mark Chandler, Director of the San Francisco Mayor’s Officeof International Trade and Commerce, said he hopes the regular flight will rampup trade and educational activities between the two countries and serve as abridge for Vietnamese visitors to the US and vice versa.
Vietnam Airlines is operating two regular direct flightseach week between Ho Chi Minh City and San Francisco and plans to increase thefrequency to seven flights a week once the pandemic is under control.
All flights between Vietnam and the US are carried out byVietnam Airlines' most modern wide-body airplane Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Vietnam's aviation industry and Vietnam Airlines haveprepared for 20 years to open a regular direct air route to the US. The scheme wasofficially completed on November 4 this year after the national flag carrierofficially received a permit from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)to operate non-stop commercial flight service between the two countries./.