Photo: Vietnam Airlines is operating direct air routes linking Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Australia with 23 flights per week (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) – Over the past 30 years, since Vietnam Airlines operated the first flight connecting Vietnam and Australia, the national-flagged carrier has made important contributions to promoting diplomatic relations as well as economic, cultural, and social connectivity between the two countries.
On March 5, Vietnam Airlines welcomed the 6 millionth passenger on the Vietnam-Australia route. For more than a quarter of a century, the national airline has made tireless efforts to overcome many difficulties and challenges, fulfilling its responsibility of connecting the two countries.
First bricks
In the early 1990s, Vietnam Airlines began operating irregular flights to two destinations in Australia - Sydney and Melbourne, using Boeing 767 and Airbus A310 aircraft with an average frequency of one or two flights per month. During peak seasons like Lunar New Year (Tet), the airline increased flight number between the two countries.
A milestone for the route was made in 1996 when Vietnam Airlines officially operated regular flights on the Ho Chi Minh City-Sydney/Melbourne routes with a frequency of two flights per week using Boeing 767 aircraft. The airline also continuously increased the frequency of flights to Australia in the 1997-2014 period. Following that success, in 2017, Vietnam Airlines launched a new direct route between Hanoi and Sydney.
In mid-December 2023, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam-Australia diplomatic relations, the carrier opened an additional air route from Vietnam to Perth.
Vietnam Airlines Deputy General Director Dang Anh Tuan said that Australia is one of the largest and most important markets of Vietnam Airlines. The new route will create more convenient conditions for passengers to travel between the two countries to visit relatives, work or study.
Vietnam Airlines will continue to seek opportunities to increase flight frequency and open new routes to Australia (Photo: VietnamPlus) By continuously opening new direct air routes to Australia, Vietnam Airlines has affirmed its position as the airline with the largest number of direct routes and the highest flight frequency between Vietnam and Australia. Accordingly, the airline is operating direct routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to the Australia’s Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth using modern wide-body Airbus A350-900 aircraft with a total frequency of up to 23 flights per week, Tuan said.
Amid the strong growth in relations and trade between the two countries, Tuan said the airline expects to continue to seek opportunities to increase flight frequency and open new routes based on market demand and Australia’s flight licensing capacity, thus completing the flight network between Vietnam and Australia in a near future.
Great market potentials
Vietnam Airlines reported that in 2023, the airline transported about 461,000 passengers, an increase of 15% compared to 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, earning 5.2 trillion VND (210.95 million USD), a rise of 34% over 2019. Compared to other international markets that Vietnam is exploiting, Australia recorded highest growth rate in the 2019-2023 period with 113%.
The Vietnam Airlines leader held that the aviation cooperation potential between Vietnam and Australia is huge as nearly 200,000 Vietnamese people are working, living, and studying in Australia. With the Australian of Vietnamese origin included, the figure can reach 300,000.
There is plenty of room for the development of the Vietnam-Australia aviation transport cooperation (Photo: VietnamPlus) Along with understanding the market and designing suitable operation plans to meet the demand by passengers, the airline has improved the flight service quality to Australia, Tuan said.
Looking back on the 50-year ties between the two countries, it can be seen that the two sides have enjoyed big steps in bilateral relations, with the establishment of a comprehensive partnership in 2009, strengthened comprehensive partnership in 2015, and strategic partnership in 2018. During the process, Vietnam Airlines has been a representative of the aviation sector and the country in international integration, contributing to promoting the national socioeconomic development, tourism, and trade and investment expansion./.
