The VietjetAir Cargo Joint Stock Company recently made its debut, offering shipping services on all the carrier’s domestic and international routes.

The company now has a fleet of freighters, providing air charter services for domestic and international markets. It will also coordinate with international airlines with a view to expanding its transportation network.

According to VietjetAir Cargo Chief Executive Officer Do Xuan Quang, without a freighter fleet, Vietnam has yet to take full advantage of its potential air cargo market, which is currently dominated by foreign airlines.

The establishment of the cargo transportation company provides a number of opportunities, as well as challenges, especially the management of a new business model at a time when Vietnam is still in the midst of the international integration process.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Vietnamese aviation sector carried a total of 680,000 tonnes of goods in 2013, quite small in comparison to the 300 million tonnes transported by the country’s marine shipping sector each year.

However, the value of goods transported by air accounts for 25 percent of Vietnam’s total export revenue, since the majority of air cargo is high-price products like electronics, mobile phones and spare parts.-VNA