VN Airlines invites other joint stock airlines to domestic market
Ha Noi, Oct. 23 (VNA) -- Vietnam Airlines welcomes other joint stock airlines to join in competition in the domestic market, said Vietnam Airlines General Director Nguyen Xuan Hien in an interview published by Lao Dong newspaper today.
Vietnam Airlines has proposed to the government the establishment of a new joint stock airline which would work together with the joint stock Pacific Airlines and other partners to serve the domestic market.
The demand for travelling within the country has been increasing by 15 percent year-on-year recently, however, Vietnam Airlines has failed to cater to that growing demand, Hien said.
There are many activities that need air services, he noted, citing agriculture, afforestation, research and rescue services, tourist services and the offshore oil and gas industry.
On opening new international and domestic routes, Hien said that Vietnam Airlines is conducting surveys on the North Europe and Germany markets while working hard to reopen the domestic route to Tuy Hoa in central coastal Phu Yen province as soon as possible.
Vietnam Airlines currently has a fleet of 29 aircraft, including seven Boeing 767s, 12 Airbus A320s and A321s, eight ATR-72s and two Folker 70s, and it plans to increase its fleet to between 35 and 36 planes in 2005 to raise its transportation capacity, Hien said
