National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has received a permit from Transport Canada to carry passengers and cargo to every airport in the country starting June 11th.
Vietnam Airlines is the first Vietnamese carrier to get this permission after a stringent process. The examination process for Vietnam Airlines took four months. The representative of Vietnam Airlines said that the FAOC granted to Vietnam Airlines has no limitation in time and number of flights.
Previously, the airline was given this license the first time for a period of only three months, from July 13th to October 13th, 2020, then it was extended until November 15th, 2020.
Vietnam Airlines had to work with at least six specialized Canadian authorities to get this essential accreditation, including the Aviation Authority, the Ministry of Transport, the Aviation Security Agency, the Border Services Agency, the Internal Revenue Service, Customs and Immigration Office.
Specifically, in addition to meeting all the requirements of the Canadian Aviation Authority and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the documentation system, Vietnam Airlines must demonstrate its competence in the fields of flight operations, aircraft maintenance, ground services, training, and COVID -19 prevention, etc.
The entire process was supposed to take six months, but with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, and service partners, Vietnam Airlines was able to complete the procedure to obtain authorization from Canadian authorities two months ahead of schedule.
The airline plans to launch repatriation flights to bring the Vietnamese in Canada back home, as well as carry the Canadians and students who want to study abroad to Canada. It will operate flights mainly to Toronto and Vancouver.
The first flight is set to take off on June 30 to Toronto to bring home Vietnamese citizens stuck in the country. It takes a total flight distance of almost 20,000 kilometers and a return flight time of more than 30 hours.
Vietnam Airlines was also granted permission by US officials to operate 12 more flights transporting Vietnamese citizens home in early June.
Van Anh
