Vietnam Airlines (VN) aims to expand its European route network by adding London at the end of the year. It already flies to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Moscow, Paris, Prague and Rome.
As reported by Forum poster, NewBAexec (click here), the carrier announced its plans early this week at a press conference at the Vietnamese embassy in London. Its president and chief executive officer Pham Ngoc Minh said that with the UK, as one of Vietnam's leading trading partners, movements between both countries had gone up by 28 percent in 2010 over 2009. He also cited the 47,000 Vietnamese working and studying in the UK as a compelling reason for the start up.
The new services are expected to boost visitor arrivals, catering to UK travellers who are not only keen to explore Vietnam but also neighbouring destinations in Indochina – Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia and Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos, which VN flies to.
At the moment, travellers from the UK fly from London to usually either Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong to catch a connection (such as VN) to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. Tim Rees, who works for a charity and is in the coastal city of Danang at least once a year, said: "Getting there is such a long journey. The connecting times in Singapore and Bangkok are long, especially when coupled with an overnight in Ho Chi Minh City to catch the early flight to Danang...having Vietnam Airlines as an option non stop is excellent."
Vietnam Airlines plans to utilise a Boeing B777-200ER to fly from Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports to Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Four flights a week are initially scheduled, increasing to seven by 2014.
For more about Vietnam Airlines, visit www.vietnamairlines.com
Margie T Logarta
