The first-ever direct route from Kerala to Vietnam marksan important milestone for the development of Kochi airport and the tourism industry of the two countries. When the route is commenced on August 12, 2023, Vietjet will be operating a total of 32 flights a week between India and Vietnam. It is expected to further promote tourism, economic and trade cooperation, and development of bilateral relations between Vietnam and India.
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to India H.E. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai said, “The opening of the route connecting Kochi and Ho Chi Minh City by Vietjet is a breakthrough, creating a new impetus for economic – trade – tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between Viet Nam and South India. With the favorable geographical location of Ho Chi Mich City in particular, and Viet Nam in general, visitors will easily explore destinations across Viet Nam as well as from Viet Nam to other countries and regions around theworld. Congratulate Vietjet, the airline operating the most air routes between our two countries, on pioneering in connecting the Indian Tier 2 cities with Viet Nam.”
“We are very happy to announce a direct flight service from Kochi airport to Ho Chi Minh City,” said Mr. S. Suhas IAS, Managing Director, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). “We are confident that the launch of this new air route between Kerala and Vietnam from CIAL will be a significant milestone in the tourism industry, providing travelers with a convenient and direct transportation option to meet their requirements. Also, the opening of a new air route marks a pivotal moment in the history of airport operations, which will help our company in opening up new avenues for economic growth and cultural exchange”, he added.
In its strategic plan to expand connectivity between India with Vietnam, the Kochi – HCMC route will be operated with a frequency of 4 flights/week on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The flights from Kochi will depart at 23:50 (local time) and land in Ho Chi Minh City at 06:40 (local time). The return flights will depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 19:20 (local time) and arrive in Kochi at 22:50 (local time). Additionally, Indians can fly to Vietnam on Vietjet flights from Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Jay L Lingeswara – Vietjet Vice President of Commerce said, “With this new route, Vietjet will fundamentally increase connectivity between Vietnam and India. We expect that Vietjet will make significant contributions to the tourism growth of Kerala, India and Vietnam via its wide range of products and services accompanied by competitive and reasonable fares.”
Kerala stands in the group of developed states of India, ranked 8th/36th in GDP and 6th in GDP per capita of India. Kochi is the key international airport of the state of Kerala, connecting to 31 international destinations. In the first 5 months of 2023, India has 141 thousand visitors to Vietnam; expected to reach 500,000 visitors a year. Previously, in 2022, the number of Indian visitors to Vietnam grew impressively, reaching 137,900 arrivals, ranking 9th in the 10 markets sending tourists to Vietnam the most. Vietjet’s new route is expected to bring about 10,000 more passengers from the southern region of India to Vietnam in 2023.
Ho Chi Minh City is a young, dynamic city with a history of just over 300 years. The variety of colors, scents and sounds are the hallmarks of the “Pearl of the Far East”, helping the City consistently rank as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia among solo, couple and family travelers.From Ho Chi Minh City, visitors can easily explore the famous coastal regions and cities of Vietnam with the airline’s extensive flight network and flexible and convenient flight times.
On this occasion, Vietjet extends its signature mega sale promotions on every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for Indians with a one-way price from only INR 5,555 (*), as well as discounted fares for Business and SkyBoss tickets, subject to availability. Details are available at www.vietjetair.com.
About Vietjet
The new-age carrier Vietjet has not only revolutionized the aviation industry in Vietnam but also been a pioneering airline across the region and around the world. With a focus on cost management ability, effective operations, and performance, applying the latest technology to all activities and leading the trend, Vietjet offers flying opportunities with cost-saving and flexible fares as well as diversified services to meet customers’ demands.
Vietjet is a fully-fledged member of International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. As Vietnam’s largest private carrier, the airline has been awarded the highest ranking for safety with 7 stars by the world’s only safety and product rating website airlineratings.com and listed as one of the world’s 50 best airlines for healthy financing and operations by Airfinance Journal in many consecutive years. The airline has also been named as Best Low-Cost Carrier by renowned organizations such as Skytrax, CAPA, Airline Ratings, and many others.
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