Another direct air route linking Russia’s Moscow and Vietnam’s central coastal province of Khanh Hoa commenced operations as its first flight landed at Cam Ranh International Airport on February 1.

The chartered flight carried 336 Russian nationals to Nha Trang city for their holiday.

This air route is operated by Azur Air airlines and hired by the Anex Vietnam Trade and Tourism Co. Ltd. It is scheduled to last through the end of 2015 with one flight every five days using Boeing 767.

Thanks to the opening of new air routes to Russia, Khanh Hoa took the lead in attracting tourists from this East European country with nearly 270,000 visitors last year, accounting for 25 percent of total foreign arrivals to the province.

Although the Russian tourist number last year surged by over 160 percent from 2013, bookings from the market declined due to economic hardship and soaring inflation, forcing Khanh Hoa to cancel some routes or reduce the flight frequency in late 2014.

The newly launched air route is said to be part of the province’s efforts to maintain the growth in the number of Russian visitors. It is expected to help Khanh Hoa welcome over 2,000 tourist arrivals more every month.-VNA