Addressing the signing ceremony, VA General Director Pham Ngoc Minh said the agreement is the first step of the airline to become an official member of SkyTeam by 2010. It also marks an important step of the airline in establishing itself as a large carrier in the region and a reliable partner of SkyTeam, he added.

SkyTeam is among three global airline alliances in the world, partnering 10 members and three associate airlines. The alliance annually offers its 460 million passengers a total of more than 16,700 daily flights to 905 destinations in 169 countries. Vietnam Airlines is the only airline in Southeast Asia to be accepted to participate in SkyTeam.