Greater Bay Airlines to launch Hong Kong-HCMC service in July

Hong Kong-based low-cost carrier Greater Bay Airlines has announced the addition of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s economic powerhouse, as the sixth destination to its expanding network, starting July 18, 2023.

The new service will operate twice a week between Hong Kong and HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The new route will be serviced by Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an all-economy configuration.

According to the no-frills carrier’s flight schedule, HB661 will depart from Hong Kong at 7 p.m. and touch down in HCMC at 8:45 p.m. HB662 will return at 9:45 p.m. and arrive in Hong Kong at 1:30 a.m. the following day.

The new flights to the southern Vietnamese economic hub will complement Greater Bay Airlines’ international network, which currently includes Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka.

The low-cost carrier took to the skies on July 23, 2022, with its inaugural flight between Hong Kong and Bangkok.

Vietnam welcomed 4.6 million foreign arrivals in the first five months of this year, equal to 57.5% of the annual target of eight million, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Vietnam’s National Assembly approved a government proposal on Saturday to extend the validity of tourist e-visas to 90 days with multiple entry, starting August 15.

HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat Airport is welcoming more international flights. On June 16, low-cost carrier Vietjet Air launched its service between HCMC and Australia’s Brisbane, with flights every Monday and Friday. This followed the HCMC-Melbourne and HCMC-Sydney routes Vietjet Air opened in April.