Future
With the expected arrival of seventy aircraft during the next ten years, Vietnam Airlines is considering significantly expanding its route map. The airline is particularly interested in launching services to the United States, where more than 1.2 million Vietnamese currently reside. Such plans have been confirmed in December 2003, but have since been postponed because Vietnam is not yet part of Federal Aviation Administration's aviation safety assessment programme. The airline, however, is expected to launch the service in early 2011. Vietnam Airlines also "considering opening new routes such as Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi, Vietnam–London; Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi–Shanghai/Beijing, China; Ho Chi Minh City–Mumbai, India; Ho Chi Minh City–Brisbane, Australia; and Ho Chi Minh City–Doha, Qatar", according to CEO Pham Ngoc Minh.
While the airline had launched flights to London, Beijing and Shanghai, there are currently no flights to Mumbai, Qatar, and Brisbane. The Ho Chi Minh City–London-Gatwick route, however, is planned to commence on 10 December 2011, with preparations underway to accommodate the airline's aircraft at one of the UK's airport. In April, the airline announced it would start direct flights to London before the year's end. The airline also plans to open flights to the United States in 2012.
By 2020, VNA plans to increase its revenue to US$7 billion—up from $1.86 billion in 2010—by carrying 620,000 tonnes of cargo and 35 million passengers, using a fleet of 163 aircraft. It aims to capture a market share of 45% of Vietnam's aviation market. During its first 15 years of operation, from 1996 to 2010, Vietnam Airlines carried a total of 82 million passengers on board 678,550 flights. Furthermore, Vietnam Airlines plans to transfer most of its international operations from its current hub, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, to the now-under construction Long Thanh International Airport. With a cost of approximately US$6 billion, the airport will, according to Vietnamese authorities, be a major gateway into Southeast Asia, at the same time helping Vietnam Airlines boost its operations internationally.
In January 2011 (2011-01), plans were announced by the airline to re-initiate an initial public offering by the end of 2012; an earlier attempt was stalled by the 2007–2010 Financial Crises.
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