HANOI, Dec. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Vietnam Airlines, the country's national flag carrier, has announced that it will open a direct route to the United States late next year.

    "We would like to launch the direct route in conjunction with Vietnam's entry into the World Trade Organization, expected by the end of 2005," Vietnam News Agency on Thursday quoted carrier spokesman Nguyen Chan as saying.

    To prepare for the future route, the carrier has already signeda code-share contract with American Airlines, and may ink a similar deal with United Airlines, he said, adding that it has recently signed contracts for an additional ten Airbus A321s and four Boeing 777-200ERs.

    United Airlines became the first US carrier to offer Vietnam direct services since 1975, with the inauguration of its first flight from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City on December 10.

    Under the Air Services Agreement approved by Vietnam in December 2003, two US and two Vietnamese passenger airlines can fly between the two countries for the first two years.

    By 2005, Vietnam Airlines will possess and lease 40 planes, including eight Boeing 777s, four Boeing 767s, ten A320s, seven A321, nine ATR 72s and two Fokker 70s, of which 18 will be owned by the carrier. It plans to increase its fleet to 75 aircraft, hoping to serve 10 million passengers and 190,000 tons of cargoes by 2010.

    Vietnam Airlines, which now launches international flights to 25 cities, including Paris, Los Angeles, Sydney, Bangkok and Guangzhou, is expected to transport over five million passengers, including 2.4 million foreigners, and reap an all-high revenue of more than one billion US dollars this year. Enditem