Vietnamese budget carrier VietJet and the Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) of the Australian state of Queensland signed a cooperation agreement in Sydney on March 16 to open a direct route connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Brisbane.
The deal was inked in the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is on an official visit to Australia, James McGrath – Assistant Minister to the Australian Prime Minister, and officials of Vietnam and Australia.
The direct route linking HCM City and Brisbane is scheduled to open in 2019.
CEO and Managing Director of BAC Julieannne Alroe said the travel frequency between Queensland and Vietnam has risen by an average of 8 percent annually over the last five years. VietJet selected Brisbane as the first destination in Australia for a direct flight with HCM City given the Vietnamese southern metropolis is one of the five biggest markets of Brisbane but there is yet a direct route between them.
Vice Chairman of VietJet Nguyen Thanh Hung said the carrier has continually upgraded its fleet and expanded the domestic and international flight network so as to bring more flight opportunities to millions of Vietnamese people and tourists around the globe.
During PM Phuc’s trip, VietJet and the Australian branch of Investec also signed an agreement on financial aid for five Airbus A321 planes with total value of 609 million USD.
VietJet is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. The airline was also named as one of the Top 500 Brands in Asia 2016 by global marketing research company Nielsen and the “Best Asian Low Cost Carrier” at the TTG Travel Awards 2015, which compiles votes from travelers, travel agencies and tour operators in throughout Asia and Asia’s Best Employer Brand by the Employer Branding Institute and World HRD Congress for many years. The airline was also rated as one of the top three fastest growing airline brands on Facebook in the world by Socialbakers.
Currently, the airline boasts a fleet of 55 A320 and A321 aircraft, and operates 385 flights each day. It has already transported more than 55 million passengers on a network featuring 82 routes in Vietnam and across the region to international destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Looking ahead, the airline plans to further expand its network across the Asia Pacific region. To prepare for this plan, VietJet has signed agreements with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers to purchase more brand-new and modern aircraft.
VNA/VNP