Vietnam Airlines to launch direct routes to Northern Europe, Italy

Vietnam Airlines will open a direct route from Vietnam to Italy on July 1, and another to Northern Europe on December 15, expanding its network to European countries, the national flag carrier stated on Monday.

The Hanoi-Milan route is the first direct international flight by a Vietnamese airline to Italy, eliminating the need for layovers in Germany or France as currently.

Initially, the airline will operate three round-trip flights per week using Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft. A Vietnam Airlines representative said that after 2025, the carrier plans to open an additional direct route from Ho Chi Minh City to Milan.

Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City-Copenhagen route will run three flights per week using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner wide-body aircraft.

Flights from HCMC will depart on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For the return journey, flights from the Danish capital will take off on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Vietnam Airlines stated that this is the first direct flight connecting Vietnam and Denmark. It is expected to open up a new air bridge between Southeast Asia and Northern Europe.

The airline expects this route to effectively serve the needs of travel, tourism, relative visiting, and trade, especially for the more than 70,000 Vietnamese people living in European countries.

According to Dang Anh Tuan, deputy general director of Vietnam Airlines, the HCMC-Copenhagen route continues to mark the airline's efforts in its strategy to expand its network in Europe, particularly the promising Northern European market.

Copenhagen is the largest aviation gateway in Northern Europe. It is also the main hub for Scandinavian Airlines, a fellow SkyTeam alliance member with Vietnam Airlines, which will allow passengers to easily connect to neighboring countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Finland through a synchronized transit system.

In 2025, Vietnam Airlines plans to launch and restore 15 international routes to key markets including Italy, Russia, China, UAE, Japan, South Korea, and India.

Currently, within Europe, the carrier operates direct flights to the UK, France, Germany, and Russia.