HO CHI MINH CITY, 1 November 2023: Bamboo Airways is grounding all international flights after it halted its Boeing 787 long-haul flights to Europe and Australia last week.
Local media in Vietnam confirmed Monday the financially challenged airline will suspend its regional flights across Asia by late November.
The airline’s Facebook page confirmed it suspended the Hanoi to Seoul Korea flights last Sunday.
Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore end on 4 November, followed by flights from Hanoi to Bangkok, Japan (Narita) and Taipei on 8 November. The last regional route, Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok, is scheduled to close on 21 November. Full refunds or flight changes are being offered for tickets already sold, according to the airline, but disgruntled passengers are saying that is not the case in angry Facebook blasts.
Domestic flights continue as Bamboo Airways attempts to stabilise operations and cut financial losses. High-volume routes such as Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi-Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City-Danang remain as the life-saving revenue earners flying between tourism hubs as well as serving Hai Phong, Vinh, Dong Hoi, Hue, Nha Trang, Dalat, Quy Nhon, Phu Quoc and Con Dao.
Last week, Bamboo Airways named the former head of Pacific Airlines and Air Mekong, Luong Hoai Nam, as the new CEO charged with reversing the heavy losses incurred flying long-haul routes.
If the drastic restructuring works, the airline could revive selected high-revenue-earning regional routes from Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a long shot, considering the airline lost an estimated USD722 million in 2022, according to airline industry news channels.
Bamboo Airways is a Vietnamese airline founded in 2017. Its first flight took off in January 2019. It grew its network to 29 destinations, including flights to Australia and Europe and has a fleet of 29 aircraft.
