Vietnam Airlines will struggle to be profitable on non-stop flights between Vietnam and the United States due to a lack of demand from business travelers, but it may launch them anyway as early as next year, the carrier's CEO said on Monday.
Duong Tri Thanh, and his counterparts at other state-controlled Southeast Asian carriers such as Thai Airways International and Malaysia Airlines, are trying to balance government desires for growth with what is best for the airlines' financial health in a competitive market.
"The philosophy of the company is to help the economy and try to be viable and profitable," Thanh told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference ahead of the Singapore Airshow.
