Summary
- Asian airlines, especially low-cost ones, are expanding routes, with China and South Korea in focus.
- Vietjet launched nonstop flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Xi'an, China, enhancing travel convenience and cultural exchanges.
- Vietjet celebrates a decade of connecting Vietnam and South Korea, announcing a new route between Nha Trang and Daegu in 2024.
Most of the world's airlines have resumed all of their pre-pandemic routes, at least the profitable ones, and are looking for new opportunities. Asian airlines are particularly active, and low-cost airlines such as Vietjet, AirAsia, and Scoot have their eyes firmly fixed on opening new regional routes, with China and South Korea attracting plenty of attention.
First Vietnam to Xi'an nonstop flight
Vietnam's largest private airline, Vietjet, has commenced nonstop flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Xi'an, the ancient Chinese city that many know as the home of the Terracotta Army. Vietjet is the only airline offering direct connections from Vietnam to Xian, the capital of China's Shaanxi province and follows the successful launch of services to Shanghai and Chengdu.
Photo: PixHound/Shutterstock
On July 1, Vietjet flight VJ3932 departed Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) at 21:14 and, after a 4:02-hour flight, landed at Xi'an Xianyang International (XIY) at 02:15. The flight was operated with a 2008 Airbus A320-200, registration VN-A666 and MSN 03739.
The Airbus A320 departed Xi'an as flight VJ3933 on July 2 at 03:52 and arrived at SGN at 06:43. After returning to China on Tuesday, it operated four more flights, including return flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Hoi (VDH) and South Korea's Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN).
The new route will operate four times weekly on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, expanding Vietjet's services in China, which started in 2014. Earlier this year, Vietjet introduced nonstop services from Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai and Chengdu, adding to the nearly 50 destinations the low-cost carrier serves in China. Vietjet Commercial Vice President Ta Huu Thanh said:
"Vietjet takes great pride in being the first airline to offer direct flights from Vietnam to the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an. This development not only enhances travel convenience but also opens avenues for economic and cultural exchanges between the two cities, marking a significant milestone in Vietjet's presence and expansion in China."
Vietjet has started 2024 just as it ended 2023, with new routes and aircraft as it expands its network across Asia-Pacific and beyond.
A decade connecting Vietnam and South Korea
Last Monday also marked a decade of Vietjet connecting Vietnam to South Korea, so it was appropriate that the airline announced a new route between the two Asian nations. Starting on October 27, 2024, Vietjet will fly from the coastal Vietnamese city of Nha Trang to South Korea's fourth largest city, Daegu.
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
South Korea is Vietnam's largest source of international visitors, contributing 3.6 million (29%) out of the total 12.6 million who visited Vietnam in 2023. Over the past decade, Vietjet has carried ten million passengers between Vietnam and South Korea across 37 regular and charter services.
With more than 100 aircraft, Vietjet has the numbers and flexibility to add an additional 86,000 seats to meet the upcoming holiday peak.
Viejet currently holds the largest capacity between Vietnam and South Korea, and its extensive South Korea network seamlessly links 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 nonstop flights from the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia and Hiroshima in Japan, as well as connecting the island of Phu Quoc to Kaohsiung and Taichung in Taiwan.