Vietjet, Vietnam’s largest private airline, is gearing up to meet the increasing demand from Indian tourists who are increasingly considering Vietnam as an emerging travel destination.
As reported by PTI, the airline plans to expand its services to India by introducing a new route between Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) and Ho Chi Minh City, with the launch expected in November, according to airline officials.
In August, Vietjet initiated direct flight services from Kochi in Kerala to Ho Chi Minh City. A senior representative from the airline mentioned that Vietjet currently operates 32 round-trip flights to and from India each week.
“From November, Vietjet is expected to launch a new route connecting Tiruchirappalli and Ho Chi Minh City and we have plans to have an initial frequency of three return flights per week, in order to meet rising demand from travellers in both countries,” PTI reported citing the official, who doesn’t want to be named.
“Vietjet would like to eventually expand its services to all capital cities in India”, he said.
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During a recent meeting with a specific group of Indian media representatives in Ho Chi Minh City, the official elaborated on the rationale behind their efforts to expand connectivity. He mentioned that Vietnam is becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination among Indian travellers.
Additionally, many Vietnamese individuals are also keen to explore one of the oldest civilizations in Asia, contributing to the growing interest in travel between the two countries.
“Vietjet’s entry into the market has increased the total number of passengers travelling between Vietnam and India in the first six months of 2023 to over 3 lakh, nearly five times higher than 70,000 passengers recorded in the same period last year,” he said.
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In particular, for routes connecting to Ho Chi Minh City, we have seven round-trip flights from Ahmedabad weekly, and four round-trip flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi, respectively, he said.
For routes connecting to Hanoi, there are seven round-trip flights weekly from Ahmedabad, three round-trip flights from Delhi and another three from Mumbai, he further said.
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When asked how Vietjet’s expansion would benefit the Indian economy, the official said the airline’s new routes would deliver sustainable growth in tourism, trade and economy in both Vietnam and India.
“Our commitment and passion is to make air travel more affordable for both Vietnamese and Indian people, help stimulate bilateral growth in tourism, trade and economy, and maintain and grow our presence in the Indian market while ensuring quality service to meet Indian demand,” he added.
Further explaining their future plans for Indian passengers, the official said Vietjet recently added a seventh A330 to its fleet to meet demand in the region. By the end on 2023, the airline expects to have a total of 10 A330s, he added.
Vietjet has been operating for over a decade with around 450 flights daily across 120 routes connecting Vietnam with other countries across Asia and Australia.
(With inputs from PTI)
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