Vietnam’s national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, began using its brand-new A350-900XWB aircraft for flights between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on July 3.

The two first flights from Hanoi to HCM City and back feature platinum and gold member passengers from the Golden Lotus Frequent Flyer programme and major partners and clients.

The event marked Vietnam Airlines as the second carrier in the world to fly the A350 aircraft , a family of long-range, twin-engine, wide-body jet airliners developed by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

Previously, the airline also received another new Boeing 787-9 aircraft to become the first airline in Asia to possess the two most modern aircrafts in the world.

Besides domestic flights between Hanoi and HCM City, the A350 plane will be used for international routes from Hanoi to Paris, France and Seoul, the Republic of Korea while the Boeing 787 will fly passengers from Hanoi or HCM City to Heathrow (the UK) and Frankfurt (Germany).

Between now and 2019, Vietnam Airlines is set to replace all of its 33 wide-body planes to shift its focus to long-range and transcontinental routes.-VNA