CIVAIR: VIETNAM APPROVES NORTHWEST AIRLINES APPLICATION TO

UNCLAS HANOI 000027 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EEB/TRA/AN AND EAP/MLS SINGAPORE FOR FAA MARY WALSH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR ECON KTIA VM SUBJECT: CIVAIR: VIETNAM APPROVES NORTHWEST AIRLINES APPLICATION TO OPERATE TOKYO-HCMC SERVICE ¶1. In a January 6, 2009 letter to Northwest Airlines (NWA),Mr. Lai Xuan Thanh, Deputy Director General of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV),approved NWA's November 8, 2008 application to begin daily, blind sector service between Tokyo and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on or about June 1, 2009. Under the 2003 U.S.-Vietnam Air Transport Agreement, NWA may operate up to seven frequencies per week between Tokyo and HCMC, but may not carry local, fifth freedom traffic. The original text of the letter follows. ¶2. Begin text of letter: No: 17 /CHK-VTHK Ha Noi, 06 January 2009 Northwest Airlines, Inc. 1212 New York Avenue NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 United States of America Phone: 202-842-4181 Fax: 202-289-6834 Considering the application of Northwest Airlines, Inc., an designated airline of United States of America, for traffic rights to operate on the route Los Angeles-Tokyo-Ho Chi Minh City; Pursuant to Articles 112, 113 and 114 of the Law on Civil Aviation of Viet Nam in 2006; Pursuant to the Air Transport Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Government of the United States of America signed in Washington DC on 4th December 2003; Pursuant to Decision No. 267/2003/QD-TTg dated 19 December 2003 by the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on Functions, Responsibilities, Rights and Organization of the Civil Aviation Administration of Viet Nam; The Civil Aviation Administration of Viet Nam grants Northwest Airlines, Inc. the right to operate scheduled services as follows: Route: Los Angeles-Tokyo-Ho Chi Minh City and vice versa: 7 frequencies per week with any type of aircraft, on which Northwest Airlines, Inc. may not carry local ("fifth freedom") traffic between Tokyo and Ho Chi Minh City. Yours sincerely, Lai Xuan Thanh Deputy Director General Civil Aviation Administration of Viet Nam C.c: The Embassy of the United States of America in Ha Noi. End text of letter. MICHALAK