A breakthrough agreement reached recently between two major players in Vietnam’s civil aviation industry will lay a foundation for the development of a private aircraft market in the country.

The Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Company (VALC) and the Vietnam Air Service Company (VASCO) will work together to make available aircraft buying and leasing services for personal use, and covers consulting and maintenance services as well as investment in the long-term leasing of aircraft.

VALC General Director Tran Long said that although the country’s private aircraft market is new, it has strong potential, as there are increasing numbers of successful entrepreneurs and large private organisations fuelling demand for private air travel.

VALC hopes that there will be 5-10 private aircraft in Vietnam in the next two years. VALC Aircraft Management Director Ho Thanh Huong said that her company is currently in price negotiations with manufacturers for two potential groups of customers. The first private aircraft ordered by VALC will be delivered this coming November and the second in 2010.

Both VASCO and VALC are cooperating with aircraft manufacturers, including Cessna in the US , Donier in Germany and Hawker in the UK , to acquaint potential customers with modern private aircraft and provide consultations on legal procedures.

Chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group Doan Nguyen Duc currently owns Vietnam ’s only private aircraft.

Despite the huge initial cost, a private aircraft not only brings greater efficiency to his work but also saves him a lot of time, Duc said, adding that he can attend four meetings, in Hanoi, HCM City, Can Tho City and the central coastal city of Da Nang, all in one day. Each flight only costs him 200 USD for fuel./.