Can Tho (VNA) - Two direct international flights connecting the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Bangkok (Thailand) will begin operating in the second quarter this year.
The information was released at a meeting on February 22 to discuss measures to promote the Can Tho Airport held by the city’s People’s Committee.
Le Tien Dung, director of the city’s Transport Department said both routes will be operated by Malaysian budget airline AirAsia.
The route connecting Can Tho City and Kuala Lumpur will be served by four flights a week, and the Can Tho – Bangkok (Thailand) route will have three flights weekly.
The new flights are expected to attract more tourists from ASEAN-member countries as well as from India and Australia as AirAsia has many connecting flight routes.
Meanwhile, low cost airline Vietjet Air will open four domestic services connecting Can Tho and the northern city of Hai Phong, Vinh (Nghe An province) and Tho Xuan (Thanh Hoa province) in the central region, and Da Lat in the Central Highlands.
Besides, the new airline Bamboo Airway will also operate one flight each day between Can Tho and Hanoi.
The Can Tho international airport, which was put into operation in 2011, has a capacity of 3 million passengers per year. However, it is operating at only under half capacity, with a throughput of 815,000 passengers in 2018.
Vice Chairman of Can Tho People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam required local departments and agencies to take the initiative in cooperating with airlines to promote the city as a tourist destination. He particularly instructed the Transport Department to push forward the opening of new air routes to and from Can Tho Airport.-VNA