HANOI, Vietnam (Reuters) --The United States wants a review of Vietnam's airport safety standards before it implements a landmark bilateral trade pact that would start direct flights between the two former foes, a U.S. aviation official said.
Several U.S. carriers had said in October they thought the first direct flights from America might start in March. But with the safety review far from complete, that timetable appeared unlikely.
"The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) will have to demonstrate its compliance with the international standards," Federal Aviation Administration Deputy Administrator Robert Sturgell told a news briefing on Monday.
He said the rules to ensure the safety of global travel are set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation based in Montreal, of which America and Vietnam are members.
Asked if Vietnam had lapses in any of the rules, Sturgell said he was "not aware" of any particular deficiencies.
The start of direct flights for the first time since the war ended in 1975 would tap a boom in tourism and trade.
Two-way passenger traffic between America and Vietnam is between 270,000 and 280,000 people a year and has been growing at between five and seven percent annually.
Some 214,253 people from America visited Vietnam in 2003, the second largest group after China.
A U.S. review team is expected to visit Vietnam in the next few months to look at its airports, said Sturgell, who was in the country to discuss the aviation agreement.
Continental Interest
In December, Hanoi and Washington signed a landmark agreement to provide direct air service between the two countries. The five-year aviation pact allows airlines of both countries, with some restrictions, to use their own aircraft on flights.
So far, only American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp, has filed an application to begin code-share flights with Vietnam Airlines, but Sturgell said that Continental Airlines "has also expressed an interest" in tapping the market.
American Airlines this week opens its first office in Vietnam and will expand code-share flights to five U.S. cities.
In the first two years, two passenger carriers on each side can operate direct flights, with a third added in the third year. Cargo operators can operate unlimited direct flights.
Sturgell said UPS and FedEx Corp. were interested in direct cargo service between the countries.
A bilateral trade pact that went into effect in December 2001 resulted in a 128 percent surge in exports from Vietnam to the United States in 2002, with U.S. exports expanding 26 percent.
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