Vietnamese aviation authority close to all clear for direct flights to US

Airlines will launch direct flights to the U.S. next year if safety protocols meet stringent standards.

Vietnam’s aviation authority is likely to have its safety credentials approved by the United States next month as part of the process to allow Vietnamese airlines to open direct flights to the U.S., a Vietnamese aviation official said.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to grant its approval in May for the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) to get its Category 1 (CAT1) rating, which recognizes the CAAV as having the capacity to ensure safety on Vietnamese airlines.

“Pending further good results, the FAA will give official recognition this year,” CAAV director Lai Xuan Thanh told VnExpress.

The CAAV currently follows standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, but in order to earn the CAT1 it has to make certain improvements, including completing a new set of regulations, ensuring a sufficient number of staff and improving its supervisory capacity.

Thanh said Vietnam is prepared for the overall assessment on aviation safety supervision and U.S. evaluation.

After receiving the CAT1 rating, the CAAV will supervise airlines based in Vietnam and ensure they are eligible to operate direct flights to the U.S.

Vietnam and the United States signed an air transport agreement in 2003 to allow airlines to operate direct flights between the two countries.

In 2004, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines sought permission from the U.S. to provide direct services. However, the request was denied because the CAAV did not meet safety supervision requirements set by the FAA.

The airline said it has reapplied to the U.S. Department of Transportation to launch direct flights, and if Vietnam gets the CAT1 rating, Vietnam Airlines will start offering the service in 2018.

(Doan Loan - vnexpress.net)

Kayak tours banned in Ha Long Bay

The administration of the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh, home to Ha Long Bay, has slapped a ban on kayak tours at the World Natural Heritage Site, citing its damage to the local tourism environment.

The ban will take effect on April 1, the provincial administration announced in a directive on Wednesday.

Paddling a kayak through the drowned limestone karst landforms scattered across the bay and admiring the area’s natural beauty have become a favorite activity for visitors to Ha Long, leading to a boom in kayak tours – many of which operate without approved business plans.

As kayaking was omitted from the province’s heritage conservation plan for Ha Long in 2015-2020, authorities felt it necessary to put an end to the activity, the local Quang Ninh newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The ban also seeks to protect tourists from kayak tour operators that either fail to list their service prices or charge tourists more than their quoted rates, adversely affecting the reputation of Ha Long’s tourism environment.

Aside from tour operators who advertise kayaking as a stand-alone service, tourist boats on Ha Long Bay often own their own kayak fleets.

Typically, passengers aboard those boats can use the kayaks while a crewman follows behind to provide guidance and ensure their safety.

The Quang Ninh administration has extended the kayak ban to these tourist boats to avoid “fewer crewmen on board the tourist boat than required.”

Offending boats will be suspended from sailing for 30 days, according to the directive.

The provincial administration also urged tourist boat operators to strictly adhere to fire safety requirements in the wake of numerous situations where boats have burst into flames on the bay.

Three boat fires have been reported so far in 2017, with the latest occurring on the night of March 4, when a ship caught fire while docked at Tuan Chau International Passenger Seaport.

(From tuoitrenews.vn)