Vietnam cargo carrier workers go unpaid

VIETNAM’S first fledgling cargo airline, Trai Thien, has been struggling to pay its staff’s wages for the last five months, resulting in regular changes to its planned launch.

Workers, including the financial director, claim the company has not paid them since April, with many having already quit their jobs.

Trai Thien’s deputy director Le Giang Long admitted the airline has been having some financial difficulties: “In such current conditions, both the leadership and workers need to stand side by side to build up the company and prepare for the first commercial flight,” he said.

Long added that it has promised to start paying salaries by mid-November.

However, should the carrier’s money woes continue to delay its launch then it stands to lose its licence.

Vo Huy Cuong, chief of the the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam’s (CAAV) air transport division, said: “If the airline does not provide services within two years since the day it received license, CAAV will have the right to request the airline to explain,” adding that it will also have the right to revoke the licence if unsatisfied.

Trai Thien wants to deploy two 737-300s but CAAV says the aircraft are too old.

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