On the back of a strong, co-ordinated national response to the coronavirus pandemic, Vietnam Airlines (VNA) announced the full resumption of domestic services last week.
The flag carrier stated on 29 May that it had resumed scheduled services to all destinations within the south-east Asian nation, which has reported fewer than 300 cases of the virus and no deaths.
The government-owned airline has also unveiled the launch of six new routes to the country’s Central Highlands, including Da Lat and Phu Quoc.
VNA launches new routes from Vinh city to Central Highlands#vietnamairlines #4starairline #4star4you
Find out more athttps://t.co/nwKgwUsgxe pic.twitter.com/iWKWljbCp4— Vietnam Airlines (@VietnamAirlines) May 29, 2020
Services to these central cities will operate from Vinh city, birthplace of Ho Chi Minh, in celebration of the leader’s 130th birthday.
The first flight from Vinh to Buon Ma Thuot in Dak Lak province departed at 16:05 on 19 May while the first flight from Vinh to Da Lat in Lam Dong province took off at 17:25.
There will be four flights per week on the Vinh – Buon Ma Thuot route on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and three on the Vinh – Da Lat route on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
With the announcement, VNA returns to daily flight numbers it operated prior to the outbreak.
And in recent weeks, company chief Duong Tri Thanh has even raised the spectre of adding to the airline’s 103-strong fleet. According to local media reports, the CEO has proposed purchasing 50 more aircraft at a cost of approximately $3.8 billion (USD).
The move comes as part of a push by VNA and the central government to reopen the country’s tourism sector – international borders, however, remain closed for the foreseeable future.
The Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board, a non-profit comprising industry leaders and stakeholders, has been pushing a scheme that would establish quarantine-free tourism corridors with certain low-risk nations, similar to the UK’s “air bridges” scheme.
Kenneth Atkinson, vice chairman of the board, said that it has urged Hanoi to engage in “early bilateral negotiations with source markets that have contained community transition.”
