Vietnam plans to open direct flight route to UK

A conference on the plan to open a direct flight route between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City to London was jointly held by the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, and the Vietnamese Embassy in London on April 19.
Vietnam Airlines President and CEO Pham Ngoc Minh mentioned the fast growth in both countries’ relations in recent years and the UK, one of Vietnam’s leading trade partners in the European Union, as a preferential candidate for the launch of this route.
The increasing demand for trade and investment in Vietnam and the UK has pushed both countries’ citizens to use planes as a means of transport. In 2010 the number of passengers from the UK to Vietnam reached nearly 90,000, up 28 percent over 2009.
Moreover, with more than 47,000 Vietnamese people working and studying the UK, the direct flight route will bring great benefit for cooperation in airline sectors between the two nations.
After conducting research and surveys at UK’s two major airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, Vietnam Airlines plans to launch the direct route by the end of this year.
According to the Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Vu Quang Minh, Vietnam Airlines’ plan has received great support from both governments as was said in a joint declaration on the establishment of the two countries’ strategic partnership to boost trade, investment, and tourism and education cooperation signed in September 2010.
The UK Trade and Investment (UKIT) Deputy Director in Asia, Rob Lally, said that Vietnam is one of the favourite destinations for British people and more and more investors are keen on investing in financial services and infrastructure in Vietnam.
The direct flight route will create a chance for Vietnam to become a popular stop for European visitors before traveling to famous tourism sites in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Vietnam Airlines plans to use Boeing B777-200ER aircraft for this route and there will be four flights per week in the first phase. By 2014 it will increase to seven flights per week.