AirAsia, the largest low-cost carrier in Southeast Asia, said on December 6 that it has agreed with its partners in Vietnam to launch a domestic airline in 2019, stated the airline in a statement.
Overview of the signing ceremony. Source:AirAsia.
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The signing, conducted on the sidelines of the Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit 2018 in Hanoi on December 6.
“AirAsia is an ASEAN airline and in Asean, Vietnam is one of the last remaining countries with a large population we’re not in. Today’s memorandum reaffirms our commitment to making AirAsia in Vietnam happen,” said Tony.
“Last year, when we announced this JV, we were bullish about Vietnam and we remain incredibly bullish about serving one of the most dynamic, fastest-growing economies in Asia,” he added.
According to Tony, AirAsia is the largest foreign airline group in Vietnam by capacity. The airline currently operates to five destinations in the country, adding that it will continue to expand the network to connect Vietnam to ASEAN and beyond.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the prospect of bringing more visitors to this amazing country and delivering true low-cost air travel to 95 million Vietnamese in the near future,” he stressed.
TMG CEO and HAA General Director Tran Trong Kien said that Vietnam’s tourism has performed extremely well. The number of international arrivals has doubled over the last three years and domestic and outbound travel have also grown tremendously, in turn contributing greatly to recent economic development and social progress.
“Vietnam as a country needs better connectivity to continue this trend and for tourism to reach its full potential. Adding a new airline, especially at this stage and with an experienced operator like AirAsia, is a much needed and welcomed move. This new airline will bring more and better choices to our people in the years to come,” Kien stated.
AirAsia operates 141 return flights weekly on 13 routes - including six unique routes - connecting Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc with Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bharu in Malaysia, Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand and Manila in the Philippines, and has carried 12 million passengers to and from Vietnam since entering the market in 2005.
Vietnam currently has five airlines, including national carrier Vietnam Airlines, budget operator Jetstar Pacific Airlines (partly owned by Vietnam Airlines), budget carrier Vietjet Aviation, Vietnam Air Services (VASCO) and the startup carrier Bamboo Airways.
