Carriers launch new int’l air routes as tourism fully reopens

Major Vietnamese airlines are launching many new international routes or resume flights to cash in on surging demand in the wake of the country fully reopening its tourism market from May 15.

Vietjet opens two new routes from Hanoi to the third and fourth largest cities of Japan, Nagoya and Fukuoka, from the beginning of July 2022.

The Hanoi-Fukuoka line will begin operating on July 2 with three flights per week, followed by Hanoi-Nagoya line with four flights per week starting from July 3.

The carrier also announced a number of new flights to India. Flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai will commence from June 2 and June 3, respectively.

On September 8, the route Phu Quoc-Mumbai will begin service while Phu Quoc-New Delhi route will kick off on September 9. Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island in the south, is the country's top resort island.

From June 1, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will resume flights between Hanoi and Busan, South Korea and between Da Nang and Seoul. It will resume flights between HCMC and Busan from July 1. The frequency of these routes is three to four flights per week.

The airline will also resume flights between Da Nang and Tokyo from July 1. It plans to extend its India service with new flights from Hanoi, HCMC, and New Delhi.

Bamboo Airways will debut its HCMC-Frankfurt route on June 16, with a frequency of one flight per week. The company is aiming to extend its international flight network to 40 foreign routes this year.

Following the control of the Covid-19 pandemic, international routes began to recover swiftly, and Vietnamese airlines resumed international routes on a regular basis, with plans to increase frequency.

International visitors to Vietnam by air reached 232,000 in April, up 502% year-on-year, indicating the country's tourism rebound as international routes resumed.

Vietnam has abolished its Covid-19 testing requirement for people entering the country since May 15.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted that Vietnam's aviation sector demand would increase by 61% in 2022 compared to 2019.