Vietnam Airlines, the national airline, is introducing new routes and boosting flight frequency to India, Indonesia, and Russia. Meanwhile, Vietjet Air is expanding into new locations in China, Japan, and Singapore.
Starting May 1, Vietnam Airlines will commence operations for two new international routes from Hanoi to India. Flights to Bengaluru will begin on May 1, followed by services to Hyderabad commencing on May 7. Each of these destinations will be serviced with 3-4 weekly return trips.
Before introducing these new routes, Vietnam Airlines was already providing non-stop flights between Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City and Delhi/Mumbai. Up until now, they have managed over 1,600 flights carrying more than 240,000 passengers.
In May, Vietnam Airlines plans to restart its Hanoi-Moscow service following a three-year pause caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. At first, the carrier will run two weekly flights. Russia has consistently served as an important destination for Vietnam’s travel and commerce sectors. By reinstating this non-stop Hanoi-Moscow flight, the connection between these nations will be strengthened, aiding in the resurgence of their air transport and tourist economies.
Beginning June 1, Vietnam Airlines plans to introduce non-stop services linking Ho Chi Minh City with Bali (Indonesia). The airline will operate four weekly return flights until July when this number will rise to seven weekly return flights. With these new routes, Vietnam Airlines aims to establish its second direct connection between Vietnam and Indonesia after establishing service for the Hanoi-Jakarta corridor earlier.
Starting July 1st, Vietnam Airlines will initiate direct services connecting Hanoi and Milan, Italy, offering three weekly return trips. Passengers can now purchase tickets for this new route. This inaugural non-stop service from Vietnam to Italy also signals future direct flights planned between Ho Chi Minh City and Milan post-2025. With the introduction of the Hanoi-Milan route, Vietnam Airlines’ count of direct European destinations will rise to nine. Currently, the carrier provides direct flights out of both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to cities including Paris (France), Frankfurt, Munich (Germany), as well as London (U.K.).
Besides launching new overseas destinations, Vietnam Airlines plans to boost the number of weekly flights between Hanoi and Manila, Philippines, from three to seven starting in April. Additionally, the airline will modify the schedule for the Ho Chi Minh City-Manila route to offer four flights each week.
In 2025, Vietnam Airlines intends to introduce 15 new international routes, covering locations such as Russia, Italy, Denmark, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the UAE.
Vietjet, the budget carrier, is broadening its route map to include new destinations such as China, Japan, India, and Singapore.
In March, Vietjet introduced new services connecting Hanoi with Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai (China), as well as linking Ho Chi Minh City with Beijing, Guangzhou (China), and Hyderabad, Bangalore (India).
Beginning on April 24, Vietjet plans to launch a new service between Ho Chi Minh City and Nagoya, Japan, offering four return flights each week. Then, starting one day later on April 25, they’ll introduce another route linking Ho Chi Minh City to Fukuoka, also operating thrice weekly. With these additions, Vietjet’s total flight count for connections between Vietnam and Japan will rise to 138 flights per week across five cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima.
Starting May 30, Vietjet Air plans to launch a new service from Singapore to Phu Quoc, offering four weekly return flights. With this addition, it becomes the airline’s fourth route linking Singapore to Vietnam, after establishing connections to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam reports that the nation’s aviation sector is anticipated to keep rebounding in 2025, projecting an approximate expansion of 8%. Nonetheless, the field encounters hurdles such as a scarcity of planes, worsened by the engine recalls from Pratt & Whitney that have led to grounding the A321 fleet, along with elevated fuel costs stemming from worldwide tensions.
Airlines have leased and acquired new planes to bolster their fleets. At present, the total number of airplanes in Vietnam’s fleet surpasses 200, marking an uptick of roughly 10 from the previous year.
