The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed the restriction on the number of Bamboo Airways aircraft be removed, saying existing regulations do not set such limits.

A plane of Bamboo Airways (Photo: VNA) 

In a recent document sent to the Ministry of Transport, the CAAV called on this ministry to propose the Prime Minister consider removing the limit on the number of Bamboo Airways aircraft.

It said under legal regulations, this carrier can develop its fleet to more than 30 planes, and the specific number will be considered on the basis of aviation safety, security and infrastructure.

Earlier, the Government approved adjustments to the Bamboo Airways air transport project. Accordingly, the firm is allowed to increase its fleet, including narrow- and wide-body aircraft, to 30 by 2023.

However, Bamboo Airways said legal regulations on aviation, including the Law on Civil Aviation and some related decrees of the Government, do not limit the number of planes of airlines. They can develop their fleets in accordance with their business purposes and market demand providing that they meet relevant requirements.

In fact, other carriers like Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific are all permitted to operate with an unrestricted number of aircraft, it added, noting that it is planning to raise its fleet to 50 by the end of 2020.

Bamboo Airways, which launched the first commercial flight in January 2019, is operating 41 domestic and international routes.

The company aims to gain a 30-percent share in Vietnam’s aviation market and expand its flight network to 85 routes this year, including 60 domestic and 25 international ones.

As of late January 2020, it had operated more than 20,000 flights with nearly 3 million passengers and the on-time performance of 94.1 percent – highest among Vietnamese carriers in 2019.