Last week, Vietnam Airlines started to fly between Vietnam and Shanghai, with seven weekly flights from HCMC and Hanoi to the Chinese city and vice versa. The carrier uses the Airbus A321 for its fifth route to China.

Vietnam Airlines is promoting online fares starting from more than VND4.1 million for its flights from Hanoi to Shanghai on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and from over VND4.8 million for the services from HCMC on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The new services increase flight frequencies of Vietnam Airlines between Vietnam and China to 30 per week. In addition to Shanghai, the airline also flies to Beijing, Guangzhou, Kunming and Hong Kong.

On the local front, Vietnam Airlines is preparing to open two short-haul routes, from Hanoi to Vinh and Chu Lai in the central region of Vietnam. The carrier will commence the first route on May 12 and the other on June 2, using small aircraft ATR 72 and Fokker 70 for the planned routes.

Vietnam Airlines will fly on around 35 domestic routes that cover almost all airports across Vietnam when adding the two new routes to its schedule by June. Currently, the carrier has international flights to more than 20 destinations.

In addition to flight network expansion, Vietnam Airlines is investing heavily in modernizing its aircraft fleet, which is planned to reach 104 by 2015 and 150 by 2020 from the current number of 50 aircrafts.

Vietnam Airlines just chartered the first ATR72-500 aircraft that Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Joint Stock Company (VALC) received from French Avion de Transport Regional (ATR). The first aircraft leasing company in Vietnam will transfer the other four aircrafts of this type to Vietnam Airlines when it takes delivery from the ATR maker within this year as agreed in a contract signed between the two sides.

In the coming years, Vietnam Airlines will have more modern airplanes in its fleet, including Airbus A321-200s, the wide-bodied A350s, and Boeing B787 Dreamliners to meet increasing demand for air travel locally and internationally.

By Binh Nguyen - The Saigon Times Daily