* Congratulations on your new role as the new General Director of Bamboo Airways. Taking over Bamboo Airways at a time when the aviation industry in general and the company in particular are still facing many challenges, what motivates you?

Mr. Nguyen Minh Hai: I have worked in the aviation industry for a long time and also ran an airline before temporarily stopping to focus on personal work. Therefore, when I took on this position, my feelings were like those of a veteran pilot returning to the cockpit, taking off into the sky.

Crisis is something that can happen to any industry, especially in the post-Covid-19 context. However, in Vietnam and Asia, aviation is still an industry with a fast and strong recovery and development rate. The achievements of domestic airlines in recent times have proven this.

That is the necessary condition. The sufficient condition, which is also the decisive motivation for me, is the discussion process with investors and the Board of Directors that makes me believe that Bamboo Airways is the right environment for me to stick with and contribute.

* How do you assess the difficulties that Vietnamese airlines in general and Bamboo Airways in particular are facing?

In my opinion, the Vietnamese aviation industry is currently facing three main difficulties.

The first is the high fuel price, which affects the operating costs of the companies.

The second is the impact of the recent Covid-19 pandemic as we all know. In the future, no one can guarantee that similar epidemics will not continue to occur.

Third is the limited resources of airports, specifically the problem of flight slot shortage (take-off/landing time frame - PV) occurring in Vietnam and many countries around the world, making it difficult for airlines to increase flight frequency.

In addition to the general difficulties of the industry, Bamboo Airways also has its own challenges. The airline is in the process of completing the ownership transfer from the old investor to the new investor, the organizational restructuring will take time.

* As the "locomotive", what strategies do you propose to help Bamboo Airways overcome these difficulties and achieve the goal of increasing domestic market share while expanding the international market?

In my opinion, doing aviation means doing it for real, doing it right, and doing it fast. Doing it for real means the product must be real, and what is proposed must be realized. Doing it right means doing exactly what you have committed to. And doing it fast is because the nature of aviation is speed.

Any airline in the current period must focus on controlling and optimizing costs, and so do we. Service is also one of the key factors that determine the success of an airline. This is also our advantage.

Regarding the market, in the airline's development plan, both the domestic and international markets play an equally important role and complement each other. Bamboo Airways has achieved certain successes and marks in the domestic market and will accelerate the development of the international market.

* You mentioned cost control and optimization, while improving service quality. Are these two things contradictory or where is the balance, sir?

Improving service quality does not mean increasing costs, and vice versa.

In my opinion, service improvement comes not only from quantitative factors but also from people. For example, a business lounge with a lot of specialties, but the staff is indifferent, not proactive in introducing and inviting customers, does not have much effect. Meanwhile, with a reasonable quantity but combined with the staff's enthusiastic and proactive attitude, the customer experience is definitely better.

Thus, if viewed from this perspective, even improving service quality sometimes contributes to optimizing costs.

* Bamboo Airways has expressed its ambition to become an Asian brand. What is the basis for this destination, sir?

When it comes to Asian airlines, people will evaluate them based on criteria such as scale of operation, number of passengers transported and quality of service.

Regarding service quality, from the early days of establishment and throughout its operation up to now, Bamboo Airways has always been steadfast in its goal of international 5-star service standards and we have been, are and will continue to realize this goal.

Now, the participation of a new investor with abundant potential, a rich ecosystem and especially the experience in successfully restructuring many businesses that has been proven in practice, will help Bamboo Airways realize its goals of scale and regional reach.

* What do you think about the recovery and development of the Vietnamese aviation industry in particular and the region in general in the future?

In terms of post-pandemic recovery, the American and European markets will recover faster than the Asia-Pacific region, due to differences in passenger income and spending power. In fact, European and American airlines have started to make profits again.

Although in the short term, Vietnam in particular and Asia-Pacific in general will face more difficulties, the future of economic development will belong to this region, so the future of the aviation industry will also be extremely potential and promising.

I expect the Vietnamese aviation market to gradually stabilize in 2024 and experience explosive growth from 2025 onwards.

* Thank you very much!