As VnExpress reports, Vietnam Airlines has received permission to complete 12 repatriation flights to the US this year.

The flights will start on June 22nd – the carrier will fly from Hanoi to Washington DC with a stop in Alaska. Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s in the airline’s fleet will be used for these flights.

Vietnam Airlines is the only Vietnamese operator to receive such approval from the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The application was being reviewed for the entire month.

The airline expects the repatriation flights to be a „test-drive“ for regular flights between the two countries in post-Covid times. For years now, the idea has been discussed and became one step closer to becoming a reality in 2019 when Vietnam got Category 1 FAA status.