The charter flight No.VU1418 took off from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and landed in Sanya Phoenix International Airport in China’s Hainan province, carrying more than 130 passengers, mostly tourists.

Vietravel Airlines’ General Director Vu Duc Bien said that China is a large market in Asia that the airline has targeted right from its establishment.

Initially, Vietravel Airlines will continue to operate charter flights to China to prove its capacity and make preparations for the exploitation of regular routes to China, which has added Vietnam into the list of countries to which China’s group tours can be conducted starting from March 15.

In the rest of 2023, Vietravel Airlines aims to expand its aircraft fleet, strengthen human resources training and develop its domestic and international flight network, he added.

According to the General Statistics Office, in the first half of 2023, Vietnam welcomed 557,151 Chinese visitors. Vietnam has been one of the five largest suppliers of tourists to China for many years.

After March 15, China has been among the three largest international tourism markets of Hanoi with about 25,500 tourists each month.

From August 15, Vietnam began to issue e-visa to citizens from all countries and territories, including China, which is a positive factor enabling domestic airlines and travel firms to develop suitable services and products for the market./.