Bamboo Airways to launch first US route this month

Startup airline Bamboo Airways has completed the necessary procedures to begin its first direct flight to the U.S. starting Sep. 23, set to be the first Vietnamese airline to do so.

The airline stated it has received licenses from U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct 12 return flights between the two countries from this month until November.

It will connect Hanoi and Da Nang City with San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle-Tacoma.

Also starting Sep. 23, the airline of real estate developer FLC will begin a series of events in the U.S. including signing memorandums with San Francisco and Los Angeles airports and opening its first representative office in the U.S.

Bamboo Airways in May received permits for charter flights from Vietnam to the U.S.

The U.S. is considered one of the most difficult aviation markets in the world with stringent safety regulations from the TSA.

Bamboo Airways is the second Vietnamese airline to have acquired permits from the TSA, with the first being Vietnam Airlines which is set to start its first U.S. route next month.

Vietnamese authorities first wanted to open direct services to the U.S. 18 years ago. However, concerns about profitability have kept airlines from realizing the goal.