Appointed CEO on Jan. 1, 2021, Lê Hồng Hà took leadership of Vietnam Airlines during the most difficult period in the company’s history. The fourth wave of COVID-19 nearly grounded all commercial flights, including the Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City route, forcing the national carrier to shift focus to cargo operations and humanitarian missions.
In this interview, Hà reflects on the airline’s survival efforts — from converting passenger cabins to transport goods, to launching Vietnam’s first nonstop commercial flight to the U.S. — and on what “the new normal” means for aviation. Despite heavy losses and years of recovery ahead, he remains confident: “Even when we fly less, our pilots, our people, and our planes must always stay ready.”
This article is a condensed and translated summary (original in Vietnamese, VN) of an interview published on January 12, 2022, by CafeF.
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