News
VietJet goes intercontinental to Brisbane
March 23rd 2018
Hanoi-headquartered low-cost carrier, VietJet Air, and Brisbane Airport Corp. (BAC) this week agreed to launch flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Brisbane, the gateway to North Queensland, from 2019. Read More » It will be first intercontinental route for the Vietnamese LCC and the first nonstop service between the two cities.
The commitment between VietJet and BAC was witnessed by Vietnamese Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who was on a state visit to Australia. At the same time, the LCC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Investec Bank for US$610 million in financing for five A321s ordered by the carrier.
BAC said it secured the VietJet deal “with Queensland Government support under the Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF), along with partner Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) and support from Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ)”.
“It makes perfect sense for VietJet Air to choose Brisbane as it very first Australian port for direct flights given Ho Chi Minh City is one of Brisbane’s top five markets without direct services,” said BAC CEO and Managing Director, Julieanne Alroe.
“We are proud to be the pioneer airline to operate direct services from Vietnam to Brisbane, a dynamic business centre with friendly people, pleasant weather and living conditions that are very attractive for international travellers, especially those from Asia,” said VietJet vice president, Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh.
VietJet has yet to announce an official launch date and equipment choice for the Brisbane service.
VietJet launched operations at the end of 2011 and has already become Vietnam's largest domestic airline. The LCC operates to 17 domestic destinations and more than 20 international cities, including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei. It will commence flights to Delhi later this year.
The airline operates 23 A320ceo and 30 A321s, including its first A321neo. VietJet has another eight A321ceo, 72 A321neo and 100 B737 MAX 200s on order. By 2020, VietJet hopes to enter the long-haul LCC market, going head-to-head with full-service, state-controlled Vietnam Airlines.
