The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has provided permission to Vietnam Airlines to conduct 12 repatriation flights this year, starting this month.
The first repatriation flight is scheduled for June 22. It will leave Hanoi for Washington D.C. on June 22, with a stop in Alaska and Vietnam on June 24.
However, the schedule for the remaining flights is not announced in detail yet. The airline will deploy its Boeing 787s or the Airbus A350s for these ultra-long-haul flights.
Meanwhile, the A350-900s can complete ultra-long-haul flights to the U.S. without requiring a stop on the way. Vietnam Airlines has configured its A350-900 with 305 seats, whereas the Boeing 787-10s are configured with 366 seats.
The Boeing 787-10 will probably operate the first flight on June 22, as it will refuel in Alaska. Last year, the airline deployed its 787-10s on similar repatriation flights to the U.S. with a stop in Alaska.
The Vietnamese flag carrier conducted 20 flights from Hanoi to multiple U.S. destinations, with San Francisco, Houston, and Washington DC. to serve Vietnamese citizens and U.S. exports and to transport essentials last year.
