Vietnam Airlines granted appeal hearing by Italian court

Airline Industry Information, April 4, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Vietnam Airlines has been granted a hearing for an appeal in an Italian court over a ruling made five years ago.

The airline has said that the hearing is a good sign for the company and that the appeal is set to start in January next year, The Associated Press reported. The granted hearing is the latest development in a case in which an Italian lawyer filed a lawsuit in 1994 after being fired by the sales agency that represents the airline in Italy. The lawyer reportedly sued the agency and the airline for unpaid services. Although the airline was notified of the court process in Rome in 1995, it did not send any representatives.

A portion of the airline's assets has been frozen in France since early 2004 on request by the Italian court and it is unclear whether the assets will remain frozen pending the results of the appeal.

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