Tourism rebound sees VietJet launch new int'l service from Danang

Private carrier VietJet Air on Saturday announced the launch of seven new international air routes linking the central city of Danang to Singapore, South Korea, and India.

From July, four to seven flights per week would connect the seaside city of Danang with Busan in South Korea, the five biggest and most populous cities in India - namely New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore - and Singapore.

"Danang is a leading travel destination in Vietnam for foreign visitors. VietJet currently operates flights on eight domestic and five international routes,” Nguyen Thanh Son, vice president of VietJet, said when announcing the new routes at Danang Investment Forum 2022 in the coastal city.

Previously, at a new route launch ceremony held in Mumbai on June 22, the low-cost carrier officially revealed two new services from New Delhi and Mumbai to the resort island of Phu Quoc in Kien Giang province, starting from September 9.

The Mumbai-Phu Quoc route will see four flights per week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while there will be three flights per week on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday for the New Delhi-Phu Quoc route.

With Vietnam's tourism fully reopened, domestic airlines have rapidly increased either flight frequency or new routes.

On July 1, Vietnam Airlines will open daily flights between Nha Trang town and South Korea's Seoul.

The national flag carrier's direct flights between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi were launched on June 15. Direct flights between Hanoi and New Delhi are operated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while flights between HCMC and New Delhi take off every Thursday and Saturday.

On June 6, a Vietnam Airlines flight carrying 160 passengers landed in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa’s Nha Trang town from Singapore, marking the opening of the air route. With this route, the carrier became the first in Vietnam to connect the two locations.

Bamboo Airways is looking to join an alliance in 2023 as the Vietnamese start-up seeks further cooperation to develop its network beyond Asia.

Bamboo is already in discussions with the likes of Japan Airlines, Air Canada and Virgin Australia on potential interlining pacts, Bamboo CCO Thach Pierre Hoang said at Routes Asia 2022 held in early June.

The carrier debuted its HCMC-Frankfurt route on June 16, with a frequency of one flight per week. The company aims to extend its international flight network to 40 foreign routes this year.

Vietnam lifted health declaration requirements on April 27 and dropped its Covid-19 testing requirement for people entering the country on May 15.