The Sydney International Airport Land Services sprays water onto the first Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi on March 29. (Source: VNA)Sydney (VNA) – A flight from Hanoi of Vietnam Airlines landed in Sydney on March 29, marking the official launch of the national flag carrier’s direct air service between Hanoi and Sydney, the airline’s third direct route to Australia.
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft is used on the route, which has three flights each week.
Flights from Hanoi will take off at 23:55 every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, while flights from Sydney will leave at 15:15 in summer and 14:15 in winter every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
The flight time is nine hours and 35 minutes.
Vietnam Airlines already operates daily flights from HCM City to Sydney and Melbourne.
Speaking at the launch of the route in Sydney, Vietnam’s General Consul in Sydney Hoang Minh Son said that the route will help further boost trade and travel between the two countries.
He noted that the Australian government has allowed the import of fruits from Vietnam, which should be transported by air to ensure freshness.
In tourism, more than 215,000 Australians visited Vietnam in 2015 while 72,900 Vietnamese travelled to Australia the same year, up 28 percent from the previous year.
Kerrie Mather, Management and Operation Director at the Sydney International Airport, stressed the new route helps cement the bilateral relationship and meets increasing travel demand from Sydney to Vietnam.-VNA
