Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and VietJetAir are rolling up their sleeves for plans to open new international services connecting Vietnam and other parts of Asia later this year, the Saigon Times Daily reported.

Low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific has just taken delivery of a Sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 airplane to expand its international flight network.

Le Hong Ha, General Director of Jetstar Pacific, was quoted by the Daily as saying that the fuel-saving aircraft will be used for international air routes.

The low-cost carrier plans to begin its Ho Chi Minh City-Bangkok air route on December 10 before flying to the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan next year. Jetstar Pacific launched its HCM City-Singapore service on October 27.

The carrier will receive two more planes by the Lunar New Year holiday to raise its fleet to 10 aircraft to meet rising demand for air travel during the biggest public holiday in Vietnam.

Another no-frills carrier VietJetAir will commence its HCM City-Taipei service on December 12 with five weekly flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The second largest airline in Vietnam will also open new services from HCM City and Hanoi to Kaohsiung and Taichung in Taiwan.

Vietnam Airlines will operate flights between Phu Quoc and Siem Reap from December 18 with three flights per week. Earlier, the airline launched Phu Quoc-Singapore service with two weekly flights.

The national carrier took delivery of an A321-200 airplane in end-September to bring the total number to 83 aircraft.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), Vietnam’s overall aviation market posted some 29.5 million passengers and 630,000 tonnes of cargo last year, year-on-year increases of 16.7 percent and 19.6 percent respectively with the domestic segment accounting for 14.5 million passengers.

The number of passengers in the first half of this year is 16.3 million, up 13.2 percent compared to the same period last year. Of which, local air carriers transported a total of 11.8 million passengers in the period, rising 18 percent over the January-June period last year.-VNA