Pilots shortage an obstacle to direct flights to US

Eight years after the Vietnam-US aviation agreement was signed, paving the way for the airlines of the two countries to provide direct flights, the national flag air carrier Vietnam Airlines still cannot fly directly to the US. The problem does not lie in the air carrier, but in the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam CAAV.
One year ago, Vietnam Airlines announced its plan to provide direct flights to the US would be implemented in October 2010, i.e. three years later than the initial plan.
The airline then said that it was taking necessary steps to fly directly to the US when it becomes strong enough.
It seemed that there were a lot of things Vietnam Airlines had to prepare to provide direct flights to the US. CAAV also said that the US is a difficult-to-please partner who always sets high requirements on the airlines who want to develop air routes to the country. Besides the requirements on security, the US requests Vietnamese airlines to provide the list of passengers and their personal information four hours before the flights take off. The requirement has not been set up before by any other countries. However, the US is still considered the leading aviation market in the world Therefore, Vietnam has been determined to meet all the requirements
However, after many years of preparation, the plan to fly directly to the US remains on paper. The aviation agreement was signed in December 2003, and under the agreement, the first direct flight from Vietnam to the US could take off in 2010. However, Vietnam Airlines still cannot make this happen. Every year, the airline releases a new plan to provide direct flights to the US, but then it has to delay for many reasons.
VnExpress newspaper has quoted Vietnam Airlines’ General Director Pham Ngoc Minh as saying that Vietnam Airlines has done all necessary things to provide direct flights to the US, and the next thing it has to do is to await the decision from CAAV.
“We have completed the market appraisal and we are ready for the flights. However, we still have to wait for the aviation authorities to fulfill their duties,” Minh said.
Explaining the delays of the direct flights to the US, Deputy Director of CAAV Lai Xuan Thanh admitted that everything now depends on CAAV, not on Vietnam Airlines. “We still cannot meet the requirements set by the US,” Minh said.
Thanh went on to say that when launching the direct air route to the US, the US will appraise the capability of CAAV, not Vietnam Airlines or any other air carriers. Especially, the appraisal of the flight safety supervision capability is the most important work. For example, supervisors, database, accident investigation system and risk assessment must satisfy the US requirements.
“We are running the project on improving the capability funded by the US itself. It is expected that by the end of the second quarter of 2011, CAAV will invite competent US agencies to Vietnam to make an appraisal,” he said.
Also according to Thanh, the biggest problem now for CAAV is the labour force. The US requires CAAV to have at least two pilots who take the job of supervising flight safety. Meanwhile, in the current conditions, it is impossible to find pilots to work for CAAV.
“This is also the problem that other countries are facing,” Thanh said. “However, one month ago, we got the approval from the Government to grant us money to pay for engineers and pilots who will work at CAAV”.
Both CAAV and Vietnam Airlines said that they hope the first direct flight to the US would take off in 2011.