VietJet to expand India presence

Vietnamese budget carrier VietJet will be expanding its presence in the Indian market with the commencement of three new flights.

The airline will begin flying five times per week on the New Delhi-Danang route starting May 14, 2020. VietJet will also connect Mumbai with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City through thrice-weekly flights and four-times-weekly flights, beginning May 15 and May 16, 2020, respectively.

VietJet looks to further expansion in India

The new routes will complement VietJet’s existing service to India. Last year, the airline started direct flights to New Delhi, with the launch of four-times-weekly flights from Ho Chi Minh City, and thrice-weekly flights from Hanoi.

“When we started operations to India, some experts had reservations about the success of our flights. However, within two months of our operations, we were recording a load factor of 83 per cent. We have a very strong belief that India is one of our key markets and with our new flights, we will further penetrate this market,” said Do Xuan Quang, vice president, VietJet, at a news conference in New Delhi last week.

The airline is also in talks with Indian LCC IndiGo to forge a codeshare agreement to expand its reach to other Indian cities where the airline is not operating flights. VietJet is focusing on point-to-point services in the Indian market.

“With increased capacity, the airline has shown serious commitment to India as a source market. This initiative will surely result in a higher number of Indian tourists visiting Vietnam and neighbouring countries on business and leisure trips. This will also enable India to get more tourists from Vietnam,” said Vineet Raina, founder and managing director, Pink Elephant Sport & Pink Elephant Journeys.

“Currently, we are just offering tickets but we are also planning with our GSA, Bird Group to introduce holiday packages for the Indian market,” added Jay Lingeswara, international sales and distribution director, VietJet.

VietJet has a joint venture, Thai VietJet Air, established with Thai regional carrier Kan Air in Thailand. The airline may also consider operating flights through Thai VietJet Air to India in the future.

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