Some 240 Vietnamese citizens from the US were repatriated on June 24 night on a flight of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

This is the first flight of Vietnamese airlines to bring citizens home from the US, licensed by US aviation authorities in 2021.

Vietnam Airlines aircraft lands at Washington Dulles International Airport. Photo: VNA

The flight, lasting more than 36 hours, departed on June 22 morning from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi to Washington Dulles International Airport, with a stopover in Alaska, and return to Vietnam at 0:00 on June 25.

Vietnam Airlines assigned a crew of 30, twice the staff of a standard long-haul flight, to ensure health and safety for the flight crew.

All the Covid-19 countermeasures were taken by the airline in accordance with the highest safety standards to prevent the risk of disease infection on the flight. Crew members’ and passengers’ body temperature were checked before boarding the aircraft. All wore protective gear throughout the journey.

Upon arrival at Cam Ranh Airport in the southern province of Khanh Hoa, passengers and the flight crew underwent health checks and sent to quarantine in line with Vietnam's regulations on Covid-19 prevention and control.

In early June, Vietnam Airlines has been the first and only Vietnamese air carrier that has been granted a license by the US Transportation Security Administration to fly to this country.

To gain the license, Vietnam Airlines said it had actively worked with other authorities such as the US Department of Transportation (DOT), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) and other aviation agencies.

In 2020, Vietnam Airlines operated more than 20 flights between Vietnam and the US to bring back Vietnamese experts and goods.