Indochina Airlines
Indochina Airlines () was a Vietnamese airline based in Ho Chi Minh City. It was the first operational private airline based in Vietnam, originally licensed in May 2008 as Air Speed Up (). The founder and chairman of the board was Vietnamese musician Hà Hùng Dũng. Indochina Airlines began selling tickets on 12 November 2008 and launched its first commercial flights from Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi and Đà Nẵng International Airport in Đà Nẵng on 25 November 2008. After a series of difficulties, including unresolved debts and a decrease in customers, Indochina Airlines ceased flying on November 25, 2009; its schedule was revoked two days later. Establishment The company was first incorporated and licensed as "Air Speed Up" in May 2008. The Vietnamese name, Tăng Tốc, as spelled, means "speed up"; however, if written without accents (i.e., Tang Toc), could be interpreted as "death and grief" (Tang Tóc). For this reason, the company applied for a name change soon after it was licensed. Initially, company chairman Hà Hùng Dũng planned to purchase the Viet Airways brand owned by Jetstar Pacific Airlines, but Jetstar Pacific declined the sale,