NEW DELHI: Vietnam-based airline Vietjet plans to expand in the India market after the launch of its maiden flight services to the country from December. The first flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to New Delhi will commence from December 6 and December 7, respectively. “India is one of our priority markets and we aim to add more cities to our network across the country in the coming years,” Vietjet vice president Nguyen Thanh Son told IANS.
“However, our focus currently is on our new routes and services for New Delhi from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City,” he added. Son also said that direct flights from New Delhi to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi by Vietjet will further uplift trade and tourism opportunities between the two countries. According to official data, the bilateral trade turnover between India and Vietnam had registered a record annual growth of 12.81 per cent and touched $13.93 billion in 2018.
The data for the period January-July 2019 showed that bilateral trade had already reached $7.5 billion.
“Moreover, the new routes will connect India to Vietjet’s wide flight network across Southeast Asia and East Asian countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, China and other countries in the APAC region. “We are also expecting Vietnam’s Buddhist community to travel to India for pilgrim activities,” Son said.
At present, the airline is offering one-way trip fare from New Delhi to Vietnam starting at Rs 2,100, excluding taxes. “Our direct flights between New Delhi and Vietnam is definitely a plus point in attracting travellers and aiding tourism growth for Vietnam and vice versa.
“Being the first airline to commence direct flights from New Delhi to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietjet will allow travellers to experience Vietnam with cost savings as well as direct flying experience,” he said. Recently, IndiGo started daily direct flights between Kolkata and Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. IANS