Addressing the signing ceremony, VA General Director Pham Ngoc Minh said the agreement’s the first step of the airline’s preparation to become an official member of SkyTeam by 2010.It marks an important development 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 offers its 460 million annual passengers a worldwide system of more than 16,700 daily flights covering 905 destinations in 169 countries.

Vietnam Airlines is the only airline in Southeast Asia to be accepted to participate in SkyTeam.