(Los Angeles, CA) Today, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the Office of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bamboo Airways and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (LA Tourism) signed a letter of cooperation to work toward creating a regular nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Vietnam.
Bamboo Airways recently received regulatory authority to fly a limited number of charter flights between Los Angeles and Ho Chi Minh City while the airline works to set up regular scheduled service. Today, representatives from Bamboo Airways visited Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to sign a letter of cooperation that outlines how the airport, the City of Los Angeles, LA Tourism and the airline will work toward supporting the new international service.
Airport officials have long sought a nonstop route between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City, located in the southeastern region of Vietnam. The letter of cooperation – signed by Ambassador Nina Hachigian, Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, LAWA Chief Executive Officer Justin Erbacci, Bamboo Airways Vice Chairman and CEO Dang Tat Thang, and Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board President and CEO Adam Burke – outlines a mutual desire to enhance tourism and trade between LA and Vietnam by establishing a nonstop flight. The agreement creates a framework for ongoing work to support the launch a nonstop flight between LA and Vietnam.
“The cooperation agreement between BAV and LAWA marks a turning point in not only BAV’s operation roadmap but also the history of bilateral civil aviation cooperation between two countries," said Dang Tat Thang, Chief Executive Officer, Bamboo Airways. "We expect this movement will bring direct benefits to the aviation markets in two countries, making a substantial contribution to the development of bilateral and multilateral trade, tourism, and economy, especially in the post-epidemic period. The active cooperation between BAV and LAWA in promoting a nonstop flight network connecting Vietnam and the United States is an important milestone in the airline’s history, proving a significant development in relations between two parties, and opening up new opportunities in the future.”
In 2019, more than 820,000 people flew between Vietnam and the United States, according to flight and passenger data. About 169,000 of those passengers made the trip to or from Los Angeles, which represents nearly 21% of the overall market between the U.S. and Vietnam. That makes Vietnam the most underserved global market from the Los Angeles area. LA also is the most popular destination city in the United States from Vietnam, with passenger traffic using connecting flights between the two destinations having grown 44% between 2014 and 2019.
"The ties between Los Angeles and Vietnam are strong and deep, with a thriving Vietnamese population across the region and a very active business community," said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. "There is strong demand for a nonstop flight between our airports and Bamboo Airways shares our desire to fill this critical gap in service. We are delighted to see them move toward the start of charter service, with the goal of creating a permanent and sustainable route in the near future.”
The economic and cultural ties between Vietnam and Southern California are strong. The largest number of Vietnamese people outside Vietnam is in Orange County, followed by Los Angeles County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For every new nonstop international flight to LA, there is a massive economic impact of about $800 million in direct and indirect spending.
“As one of our largest unserved international markets, we’ve long recognized the potential of direct air service between Los Angeles and Vietnam," said Adam Burke, President and CEO, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. "We are thrilled about the opportunity Bamboo Airways brings to the City of Angels.”
Bamboo Airways operates a fleet of highly fuel-efficient Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 aircraft, which are capable of making the 8,169-mile flight between Ho Chi Minh City and LA.
