Vietnam Airlines will open a direct air route to the UK on December 8.
The flights will link Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to London’s Gatwick Airport, some 46km south of the British capital. Gatwick is London’s second largest airport and ranks among the world’s ten biggest airports.
The airline is expected to use Boeing 777 aircraft to operate seven weekly flights by 2014.
Vietnam Airlines General Director Pham Ngoc Minh said, “The new service will make London the carrier’s fourth destination in Europe behind Paris, Frankfurt and Moscow.”
At present, two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and the UK totals more than USD2 billion per year. The number of British visitors to Vietnam is expected to increase by over 20% per year.
