Deeptesh Ghosh
Monday, July 8, 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Vietjet, along with other Asian airlines, is leading the charge as the world recovers from the pandemic. Most airlines have reinstated their pre-pandemic routes, especially the profitable ones, and are actively exploring new opportunities. Low-cost carriers like Vietjet, AirAsia, and Scoot are focusing on new regional routes, with China and South Korea as major targets for these expansions.
Vietjet’s Inaugural Vietnam to Xi’an Flight
Vietjet, Vietnam’s largest private airline, has launched nonstop flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Xi’an, the historic Chinese city famed for the Terracotta Army. This makes Vietjet the sole airline providing direct connections from Vietnam to Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province. This move follows the airline’s successful routes to Shanghai and Chengdu.
On July 1, Vietjet flight VJ3932 departed from Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City at 21:14 and landed at Xi’an Xianyang International (XIY) at 02:15, after a 4-hour and 2-minute journey. The flight was operated with an Airbus A320-200, registration VN-A666.
The return flight, VJ3933, left Xi’an on July 2 at 03:52 and arrived back in Ho Chi Minh City at 06:43. Subsequently, the aircraft operated several other routes, including flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Hoi, and Seoul’s Incheon International Airport (ICN).
This new route will operate four times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, enhancing Vietjet’s presence in China, where it began operations in 2014. Earlier this year, Vietjet introduced nonstop flights from Ho Chi Minh City to both Shanghai and Chengdu, further expanding its network in China.
Celebrating a Decade of Vietnam-South Korea Connections
This year also marks a decade since Vietjet began connecting Vietnam with South Korea. To celebrate, the airline announced a new route between Nha Trang and Daegu, South Korea’s fourth-largest city, starting on October 27, 2024.
South Korea remains Vietnam’s largest source of international visitors, contributing 3.6 million of the total 12.6 million visitors in 2023. Over the past decade, Vietjet has transported ten million passengers between Vietnam and South Korea through 37 regular and charter services.
Vietjet boasts the largest capacity between Vietnam and South Korea, linking Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, and Da Lat with Seoul, Busan, and Daegu.
In the first half of 2024, Vietjet launched several new international routes, including flights from Hanoi to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, and Hiroshima in Japan. Additionally, the airline has connected Phu Quoc with Kaohsiung and Taichung in Taiwan, continuing its aggressive expansion strategy.
