HÀ NỘI — Bamboo Airways will operate its first two-way demonstration flight on the Việt Nam-US direct route on September 23.

Under a certificate granted by the US’ Transportation Security Administration to the airline, Bamboo Airways will conduct 12 two-way flights on the route between September and November this year.

The flights will take off and land in different airports of Việt Nam (Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng International Airport in Đà Nẵng) and the US (San Francisco and Los Angeles airports in California, and Seattle-Tacoma airport in Washington).

The operation of the first demonstration flight is the first of a series of activities of Bamboo Airways in the US, including the signing of MoUs with San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, the opening of a representative office in the US, and working sessions with Boeing and US partners.

According to the airline, it has so far completed all important preparations to get ready to operate regular commercial flights connecting Việt Nam and the US from late 2021 or early 2022.

Earlier, Bamboo Airways officially entered into co-operation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to trial the IATA Travel Pass from the fourth quarter of 2021, laying a solid foundation for the airline’s reopening of international routes.

IATA Travel Pass is a digital health wallet where passengers can upload and share their COVID-19 tests and vaccination certificates for travel. Health information is an essential factor for both governments and carriers to conduct safe flights during and after the pandemic. The IATA Travel Pass is considered a safer and more effective solution compared to current paper-based procedures, especially when it comes to a multitude of test and vaccination data needed to be secured. — VNS