Vietnam Airlines’ first short-range flight VN9293 departed from Taipei and landed safely at the Can Tho airport on February 11.

The three hour test run of the Boeing 184-seater is part of the national flag carrier’s plan aimed at launching international air routes from the Can Tho terminal to North Asia and Southeast Asian countries once the main station of the airport operates by the end of this year.

Vietnam Airlines will launch a Taipei to Can Tho flight on February 12 and two others from Can Tho to Taiwan and Taipei on February 20 and 21.

After one year of operation, the Can Tho terminal received 150,000 passengers and nearly 2,000 tonnes of cargo. It is expected to increase the number of passengers by 15 percent from this year./.