Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha attends a ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of Vietnam Airlines' direct flight service between Vietnam and France. (Source: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) – After 20 years of operating direct flights between Vietnam and France, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is now the biggest holder of market share for passenger transportation between the two countries, with economical 4-star international service.
After two decades of running direct flights from Vietnam to France, Vietnam Airlines has successfully established its own brand and contributed to the international recognition of the country. This has led to the development of trade, culture, tourism between the two nations.
Two decades of Golden Lotus presence in France
Immediately after the country opened its economy, Vietnam Airlines began operating flights from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Paris with a stopover in Dubai using Boeing 767 aircraft, starting in 1994. Three years later, Air France collaborated with Vietnam Airlines to provide training for pilots and technicians, and successfully transferred technology for the operation of 10 latest and most modern Airbus A320 aircraft at that time.
On June 24, 2003, Vietnam Airlines officially opened non-stop direct flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Paris using wide-body Boeing 777-200ER, reducing the flight time to just 12 hours. The number of passengers flying between Vietnam and France has grown rapidly since the carrier introduced direct flights.
In 2015, Vietnam Airlines officially operated the new-generation Airbus A350-900 on the Hanoi-Paris route as its first destination, proving that France is a strategic market and a focal point for passenger traffic between the two countries.
On this route, passengers had more options due to increased flight frequency and the availability of transit points within the region and worldwide through the codeshare agreement between Vietnam Airlines and Air France which was signed in early October 2017.
The two carriers also shared experience to improve their service quality, reduce costs, explore new markets, and carry out trade promotion programmes to meet diverse customer needs.
Currently, Vietnam Airlines is running 10-11 weekly flights per week between Vietnam and France, including 7 flights on Hanoi-Paris route and 3-4 flights on Ho Chi Minh City-Paris route. All flights are operated using wide-body Airbus A350 aircraft.
An aircraft of Vietnam Airlines (Photo: VietnamPlus) Chairman of Vietnam Airlines’ Board of Directors Dang Ngoc Hoa said it is considering the possibility of raising the frequency of flights between Vietnam and France to a maximum of 14 per week according to a long-term development plan based on market demand and the flight permit capacity granted by the French authorities.
Awaiting positive signals
Over the past years, the seat occupancy rate of flights operated by both Vietnam Airlines and Air France on the Vietnam-France route has consistently remained high, ranging from 80% to 90%, indicating a significant demand for travel between the two countries, Hoa said.
Vietnam Airlines and its airline and tourism partners launch a ceremony to boost cooperation in Vietnam-France tourism development (Photo: VietnamPlus) Since 2003, Vietnam Airlines has transported nearly 3.8 million passengers and over 174,500 tons of cargo.
Nguyen Ngoc Canh, Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Management of State Capital at Enterprises hailed Vietnam Airlines for serving as a pillar in Vietnam-France aviation cooperation, upholding its role as an aviation bridge, thereby contributing to strengthening friendship between the two countries and two continents./.
