Bacall Associates - Vietnam Airlines Recognised as Leading Global

Prized certification marks key developmental milestone for flag carrier after transformative year

12 July 2016 – National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines www.vietnamairlines.com has been certified as a 4-Star Airline by the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax ranking it alongside some of the world’s most reputable airlines, including British Airways, Emirates and Lufthansa. Vietnam Airlines new President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Duong Tri Thanh, accepted the official certification during the World Airline Awards event at Farnborough International Airshow 2016.

Awarded after comprehensive Skytrax evaluation across all customer-facing product and service factors both onboard flights and at airports served by Vietnam Airlines, the prestigious 4-Star Airline certification is recognition for the significant recent improvements that Vietnam Airlines has made to the quality of its product and service standards, as part of its strategic plan to establish itself as the leading carrier for the region.

Last year Vietnam Airlines underwent a dramatic transformation, launching its new corporate identity and beginning a major fleet-wide upgrade to replace its entire fleet of wide body aircraft – significantly enhancing its product offering. 2015 saw Vietnam Airlines become the first airline to operate the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner nonstop between Southeast Asia and Europe, and the first Asian airline to operate both Boeing and Airbus’ modern next-generation aircraft at the same time. A total of 19 Boeing 787s and 14 Airbus A350-900 XWBs will be delivered to Vietnam Airlines by early 2019.

At the same time, Vietnam Airlines implemented a programmed to upgrade service levels to international 4-Star Airline standards – spearheaded by Vietnam Airlines’ new President and CEO Mr. Thanh in his previous role as Executive Vice President. Commenting on the news, Mr. Thanh said “I am honored to accept this highly prestigious accolade on behalf of Vietnam Airlines. This fantastic achievement is testament to the hard work of all of Vietnam Airlines’ dedicated employees, and an important indicator of the excellent progress we are making towards our goal of becoming one of the best-regarded airlines in Asia-Pacific.”

Mr. Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax said “This 4-Star Airline rating is an excellent achievement for Vietnam Airlines and the result of their hard work across a range of product and service areas. Introducing two brand new aircraft types into the fleet in such a short space of time is a difficult task, but the reward for Vietnam Airlines is a fabulous new product in their core long haul market. We acknowledge the considerable change and improvement they have achieved, with a new service concept rolled out in Business Class and an overhaul of cabin staff training procedures – all of which will further strengthen Vietnam Airlines position as a major Asian airline.”

Vietnam Airlines offers the UK’s only nonstop flights to Vietnam, operating daily services from Heathrow Terminal 4 to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Flights are carefully scheduled to offer convenient overnight journeys in both directions, and excellent onward connections via its comprehensive network of over 40 destinations in Asia, including 16 within Vietnam 5 in Indochina and the rest in other countries.

Return fares from Heathrow to Ho Chi Minh City currently start from £396 per person, inclusive of taxes. For further information and reservations visit www.vietnamairlines.com or speak to a travel agent.