VietJet Air has commenced its first ever international flights, connecting Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) with Bangkok.
The new service, which got underway on Sunday 10 February 2013, coincided with the first day of Vietnam’s Lunar New Year holidays, and will now operate daily using a 180-seat, all-economy class Airbus A320 aircraft.
Passengers on the inaugural flight were presented with ‘li xi’ (lucky money) pouches, while the airline’s flight crew donned traditional Vietnamese and Thai costumes. Upon arrival at Bangkok, passengers were greeted by representatives from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Airport of Thailand (AoT).
“I would like to thank VietJet Air for allowing Thailand the honour of being the first destination for this historic, debut international flight,” said TAT’s HCMC-based Director, Chutathip Chareonlarp. “This will give both countries greater exposure to the people of Thailand and Vietnam and boost tourism flows, too.”
To support its expansion into Thailand, VieJetAir has appointed QE Tour to represent it in the country, while the airline’s website is now available in Thai, as well as English and Vietnamese.
HCMC-Bangkok becomes VietJet’s 10th new route since it launched in late 2011. In Vietnam, the airline’s domestic network now includes HCMC Hanoi, Danang, Phu Quoc, Hue, Nha Trang, Vinh and Haiphong, and the airline plans to launch more international flights from HCMC and Hanoi later this year.
The new daily Bangkok flights will depart from HCMC at 1145 and return from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport at 1330.
