Vietnam Airlines has launched the first ever direct, non-stop flights between London and the two main cities of Vietnam today as the airline looks to attract business and leisure customers to the country and the surrounding Indo-China region, including Cambodia and Laos.
The service is operating out of Gatwick’s newly renovated North Terminal and will start as four times-weekly, two to the northern capital Hanoi and two to the southern, and larger, Ho Chi Minh City.
Flights will be served by B777-200ERs configured with 25 business class seats, 54 seats in Deluxe economy (premium economy) and 228 economy seats.
The airline is planning to increase frequency to seven times-weekly by 2015 once it acquires a batch of 19 purchased and leased Boeing 787-900 Intercontinental Dreamliners.
Flight VN144 will depart Gatwick at 1200 on Tuesday and Friday, arriving in Hanoi at 0630 the next day with the return flight VN145 leaving Hanoi on Monday and Thursday at 2340 and arriving back in London at 0620 the next day.
Flight VN140 will depart Gatwick at 1200 on Wednesday and Saturday, arriving in Ho Chi Minh City at 0710 the next day with the return flight VN141 leaving Vietnam on Tuesday and Friday at 2320 and arriving back at Gatwick at 0620 the next day.
The inaugural flight was celebrated in style with senior figures from the airline and the airport present along with a troop of traditional Vietnamese dancers.
Speaking about the launch Vietnam Airlines CEO Dr Pham Ngoc Minh said: “There is no question that there is potential and a determination to bring the partnership between Vietnam and the UK to a new level.”
Dr Minh sees the route as initially comprising around 20 per cent business travellers, a figure he hopes will rise once the airline can offer greater frequency. Dr Minh added that the Vietnamese business community is very supportive of this direct, 12-hour link.
This is another example of a long-haul Asian destination launching out of Gatwick airport, following hot on the heels of Air Asia X’s Kuala Lumpur route (see online news October 25) and coming two months ahead of Hong Kong Airlines all-Club-Class service (see online news November 10).
Dr Minh stated the airline had been unsuccessfully courting slots at Heathrow since 1998, and with what Dr Minh said is recent “booming demand” for a direct London to Vietnam link the airline decided to move into Gatwick. He added that the airline is “very happy with the service Gatwick offered.”
General manager for UK and Ireland Mr Le Thanh Dzung also told Business Traveller that the airline is currently looking into improving its seating products across its intercontinental fleet, including the possibility of fully-flat seats in business class.
For more information see vietnamairlines.com.
Report by Scott Carey
