Summary
- 30 pilots have left Bamboo Airways previously two months attributable to delayed wages, reflecting the airline’s financial struggles.
- Bamboo Airways is currently undergoing a serious restructuring plan, including changes to its route network, fleet, and human resources.
- The airline has faced challenges similar to travel restrictions through the pandemic, stiff competition, financial losses, and inconsistent leadership.
As many as 30 pilots have reportedly left Bamboo Airways within the last two months after delays in receiving their wages. The reports come because the Vietnamese carrier finds itself facing significant financial hardship.
Staff on the airline are understood to have faced frustrating pay delays previously, although that is the primary time that the difficulty has affected foreign pilots, who make up a big majority of the carrier’s 300-strong pilot community.
Photo: Duc Huy Nguyen / Shutterstock
Bamboo Airways is currently undergoing a serious restructuring plan, which incorporates its route network, fleet, and human resources. In an announcement to Reuters, the airline said that it had “,” even though it denied that the late payment of salaries was the rationale for the pilots leaving.
Turbulent times for Bamboo Airways
Since commencing operations in January 2019, Bamboo Airways has not had a straightforward ride. Vietnam’s travel restrictions throughout the pandemic were amongst among the strictest on the earth, and since then, the airline has faced stiff competition in the shape of the rapidly expanding low-cost carrier, Vietjet.
Last yr, Bamboo Airways posted a lack of 17.6 trillion dong ($722 million), and earlier this summer, rumors surfaced of the airline almost filing for bankruptcy protection. Along with its financial woes, the airline has lacked consistent leadership, and its current CEO, Nguyen Ngoc Trong, was appointed in July 2023, when his predecessor resigned after just two months within the role.
Photo: Phuong D. Nguyen / Shutterstock
With its unique hybrid model, fitting somewhere between a full service carrier and low-cost carrier, Bamboo Airways has perhaps struggled to carve out a distinct segment in what’s a particularly competitive market. Nevertheless, in a bid to quell any rumors, the airline issued an announcement assuring that it was maintaining normal operations.
Vietnam’s third-largest airline
Bamboo Airways is the third-largest airline in Vietnam, with a 17% market share. Data from ch-aviation.com shows that the carrier currently has 30 aircraft in its fleet, including three Boeing 787-9s. The airline’s only widebody aircraft each seat 292–294 passengers in a three-class configuration.
The carrier has previously stated its intentions to spice up the scale of its fleet to 100 aircraft by 2028. According to this plan, Bamboo Airways is awaiting delivery of one other ten 787-9s and one Airbus A321, although beyond that, there aren’t any further aircraft on order as yet.
Photo: Thanhliemnguyen / Shutterstock
From its hubs at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), Bamboo Airways operates an in depth domestic and regional network. The airline also flies to a limited variety of long-haul destinations – London Gatwick (LGW), Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), and Frankfurt (FRA), although the London service will end on October twenty fifth.
What do you’re thinking that of the reports of pilots leaving Bamboo Airways following delays of their salary payments? Have you ever flown with the airline? Share your thoughts and experiences by commenting below.