VietNamNet Bridge - As the domestic market is getting saturated, air carriers are opening international air routes as demand increases for inbound and outbound tours.


{keywords}

Airlines are opening international air routes



Minh Thien of HCM City flew to Taiwan recently with low cost carrier Vietjet, and will go to Japan this summer on a direct flight on Vietjet.

“If you don’t like Vietjet, you can fly with other Vietnamese airlines. They’ve opened new air routes,” she said. “The airlines have reasonable airfares and provide non-stop flights. It’d be better to fly with Vietnamese airlines. The service is okay, and it is easier to change or refund tickets.”

In the last two months, Vietjet opened a number of international air routes with departure in Hanoi and HCM City, and destinations in Japan and South Korea.

Now is the time to develop new international air routes, because the strategy can help bring more foreign currency from ticket sales. 

Vietjet now provides flights on three direct routes between Vietnam and Japan, including Hanoi-Tokyo, Hanoi-Osaka and HCM City-Osaka.

According to Vietjet’s CEO Do Xuan Quang, travelers from Tokyo and Kanto area in Japan can fly to Hanoi, from which they can head for famous tourist sites in Vietnam such as Sa Pa, Ha Long Bay, Trang An and Son Doong Cave.

By the end of 2018, the air carrier had 39 domestic and 66 international air routes, mostly to Asian countries such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Myanmar and China.

Prior to that, the nation’s flag air carrier Vietnam Airlines also opened a direct air route between Da Nang and Osaka. This is Vietnam Airlines’ 11th air route between Vietnam and Japan, following the ones from Hanoi, HCMC and Da Nang and Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. 

Vietnam Airlines is now the biggest air carrier on the Vietnam-Japan route, with 70 flights a week.

As for Jetstar Pacific, the carrier is flying to Singapore, Bangkok, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Guang Zhou and Osaka, and connecting with Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Group to reach 80 destinations in the world.

An analyst said that now is the time to develop new international air routes, because the strategy can help bring more foreign currency from ticket sales. 

In addition, air carriers can benefit as the fuel price in the foreign market is lower than domestic fares.

Nguyen Minh Man from TST Tourist believes that the opening of new air routes will help foster tourism development. The expenses for air services account for 50 percent of total tour fees on average.


RELATED NEWS

Outbound tours getting cheaper thanks to new direct air routes

Foreign air carriers rush to open new air routes to Vietnam


Mai Thanh