Direct air route linking Vietnam, Indonesia capitals launched

Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet Air on Monday announced a direct route between Hanoi and Jakarta on the occasion of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Indonesia to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit.

Scheduled to take off in December, this will be the first direct air route connecting the two capital cities and also the fourth to the island state operated by Vietjet. In May, the private airline launched a direct route from Ho Chi Minh City to Jakarta.

The Hanoi-Jakarta flight will take 4.5 hours. With four flights per week, Vietjet Air will increase the total number of flights between Vietnam and Indonesia to 92 per week from December.

According to Vietjet Air vice chairman Nguyen Thanh Hung, direct flights between the two countries contribute to developing the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership and facilitating cultural and economic exchanges.

Vietjet Air aims to transport 1 million Vietnamese and Indonesia passengers per year, he added.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno shared the view that the new route will help promote trade and investment between Vietnam and Indonesia – the fourth most populous country in the world with about 280 million people.

They requested ministries and agencies to continue to create conditions for people and businesses of the two countries to increase investment exploration and tourism activities, contributing to the socio-economic development of the two countries, making Vietnam-Indonesia relations more and more substantive and effective.

In Southeast Asia, Indonesia is currently Vietnam's third largest trading partner, while Vietnam is Indonesia's fourth largest trading partner.

Bilateral trade turnover has recorded positive growth, rising from $4.8 billion in 2013 to $14.1 billion last year.

In the first four months of 2023, the figure hit more than $4.2 billion with Vietnam’s exports to Indonesia reaching $1.6 billion, 9% higher than the same period in 2022. In 2023, bilateral trade is expected to reach or exceed $15 billion.