HANOI – Vietnam Airlines is planning to resume regular international flights linking Vietnam with 15 countries and territories in the first half of next year.
The resumption will be carried out in two phases depending on the relevant agencies’ approval, Vietnam News Agency reported.
In the first phase – which is scheduled to begin on January 1 next year, and will last for about two weeks – the national flag carrier will conduct round-trip flights between Vietnam and the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
Each route will have one to four flights per week, and the frequency will gradually increase based on passenger demand and anti-pandemic requirements.
Meanwhile, the firm is set to reopen air routes connecting the country with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, Australia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia in the second phase.
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism general director Nguyen Trung Khanh yesterday said if the country lags behind in the resumption of international flights, it will lose chances for not only attracting tourists, but also recovering other sectors, including the aviation industry.
He said over the last two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused extremely negative ramifications on every aspect, with tourism and aviation among the first to be hit hard. These two sectors are forecast to continue facing numerous difficulties in the time ahead.
The reopening of commercial international flights is an urgent need, especially in the year-end period when people, especially overseas Vietnamese, have high demand for returning to the homeland, he added. – Bernama, December 24, 2021
