Low-cost carrier Vietjet currently flies seven routes in five different states in Australia. That’s not bad for an airline that less than 18 months ago didn’t operate a single service Down Under.
But despite the rapid launch and subsequent expansion of the airline’s footprint in Australia, the carrier isn’t stopping there, saying it plans to “soon” expand its Aussie network even further.
While Vietjet hasn’t said what that expansion will look like, it has stated a desire to connect more Aussies to secondary Vietnamese ports like Da Nang (Hoi An), Nha Trang and even Ha Long Bay.
Could that mean non-stop flights from Australia to these smaller, but still popular destinations? Unlikely, even if these tourist hotspots are serviced by international, albeit smaller, airports. More likely, would be the prospect of Vietjet adding Australian ports – like Darwin – or commencing new routes to Hanoi from Australia – perhaps ex-Brisbane or ex-Perth. In any case, expect more capacity shortly.
“Vietjet is currently operating more than 50 flights per week to serve the needs of family reunions, studying abroad, business and economic investments, as well as the pleasure of numerous passengers who are Vietnamese, Indian, and from some other Asian countries travelling to Australia,” Vietjet Vice President Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh told Karryon in an email.
“To meet the needs of Australian tourists looking to explore Vietnam, Vietjet will soon increase the flight network to connect Australia with tourist destinations and resorts in Vietnam, such as Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, and Ha Long Bay.”
Vietjet’s aim “to explore new destinations in Vietnam for Australians and vice versa”, comes as the carrier looks to significantly grow its fleet.
In August, the Vietnamese airline said it expected the delivery of 10 new aircraft – mostly the latest A321neo planes – before year’s end. This is on top of a deal to buy 20 new-generation wide-body A350neo aircraft – for longer-haul operations.
“With the new fleet, passengers can expect diverse and interesting experiences on Vietjet flights,” Ms Nguyen told Karryon.
“Vietjet was the first airline in the world to operate this aircraft model [A321 Neo ACF] in 2019.
“The A321neo ACF features an improved cabin design, ensuring standard seat dimensions and spacing, which offers the best in-flight experience for passengers. These aircraft also provide at least 16% fuel savings, reduce noise by up to 75%, and cut emissions by 50%.
“The addition of the Airbus A321Neo ACF to Vietjet’s current fleet of more than 100 aircraft aims to provide a more comfortable experience for customers on flights and to flexibly and effectively expand the medium-haul flight network with a flight time of 5-6 hours, connecting all hub airports of Vietnam and Thailand with other countries in the region.”
According to the airline, Vietjet carried 25.3 million passengers in 2023 and expects to fly up to 28 million passengers this year – a 15% increase compared to 2019.
Between Australia and Vietnam, “in the first 7 months of 2024, Vietjet transported more than 310,000 passengers, contributing nearly 90% to the growth of the tourism and family visit market between the two countries compared to the year 2019”, Nguyen said.
VJ’s most recently launched route in Australia was between Sydney and Hanoi. The airline also currently flies from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and from Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide to Ho Chi Mi. In 2023, Nguyen also said that the carrier planned to expand to Darwin.
