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Bamboo Airways plans A380 debut to U.S. next year
June 28th 2019
Dynamic start-up hopes to receive U.S. approval by year end. Read More »
Bamboo Airways intends to launch A380 flights between Vietnam and the U.S. in the first quarter of 2020 if it receives U.S. regulatory approval by the end of the year, the major shareholder told the Financial Times.
This development was an acceleration of the airline’s North America strategy and the first mention of using leased A380s. Bamboo has 787-9s on order that were to open North America flying.
As of June 27, the U.S. government’s portal for regulatory matters had not shown any application or proceeding from Bamboo Airways. Such a submission would start the long process of U.S. approval. Bamboo’s comments imply the airline would launch flights with a narrow advance purchase period for tickets, adding to challenges of non-stop ultra-long-haul flying for new entrant.
Earlier this year, Bamboo said it would fly from Hanoi to the U.S. via Taipei with 787s. The A380 non-stop plan was disclosed by Trinh Van Quyet, the chairman and CEO of FLC, which owns fast-moving Bamboo Airways.
Bamboo has seemingly backtracked from plans to fly from Hanoi. Hanoi is geographically closer to the U.S. than Ho Chi Minh. This improves aircraft performance, but U.S. traffic is heavily concentrated in Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam’s south. There was no mention of where the A380 would be sourced or its configuration.
