New Delhi (VNA) – Indian airline Akasa Air on September 4 officially launched a direct route between Mumbai and Hanoi, marking its first expansion into Vietnam.
The new route operates four flights a week and is the first direct Mumbai–Hanoi service operated by an Indian airline. Hanoi has become Akasa Air’s seventh international destination and its second destination in Southeast Asia, after Phuket, Thailand.
The launch ceremony at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to India Trinh Minh Manh and Consul General of Vietnam in Mumbai Le Quang Bien, along with Akasa Air Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Anand Srinivasan and Co-founder and Senior Vice President for Strategy Bhavin Joshi.
Addressing the ceremony, Manh said the direct route between Mumbai and Hanoi would not only provide a convenient transport link between the two major cities but also open up new opportunities for cooperation in tourism, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and India.
Mumbai is one of India’s most important financial, commercial and economic centres, while Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital and a major political, economic and cultural centre, he said.
The direct connection between the two cities is expected to help deepen bilateral economic cooperation while creating more favourable conditions for businesses from both sides to expand their operations and seek investment and business opportunities, the ambassador added.
The Embassy of Vietnam in India said it had coordinated with relevant authorities and partners to support Akasa Air during preparations for the new route. It will continue working with the airline to enhance connectivity and strengthen Vietnam-India cooperation, the embassy said.
The inaugural flight, QP625, departed Mumbai at 5:35 am on September 4 and landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at noon the same day, local time. The return flight, QP626, departed Hanoi at 1:30 pm.
The route is operated by Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with a flight time of about five hours.
Akasa Air’s launch of the Mumbai–Hanoi route comes amid growing travel demand between the two countries, particularly among Indian tourists visiting Vietnam.
The entry of another Indian airline on the Mumbai–Hanoi route will provide passengers with more travel options while adding direct transport capacity between the two markets./.
