Vietnam Airlines conducted the first regular flight from Beijing (China) to Hanoi on March 19 after a three-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The flight, VN513, departed the Chinese capital at 3:30pm (Beijing time) and will arrive in Hanoi at 5:55pm (Hanoi time).
Passengers were welcomed with a ceremony held by the national flag carrier of Vietnam at Beijing Capital International Airport.
Vietnam Airlines is operating three round-trip flights per week between Hanoi and Beijing, and will increase the flights from mid-2023. It is also planning to open an air route connecting with Beijing Daxing International Airport.
China is one of the biggest international markets of Vietnam Airlines, which has resumed most of its air routes to Chinese destinations, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Guangzhou and Shanghai, and Hanoi with Beijing.
In the coming months, the carrier will re-open four routes linking Da Nang with Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu, and Hanoi with Chengdu. It will also step up the use of wide-body aircraft, Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, on the routes to China.
The resumption of air routes is expected to greatly facilitate the post-pandemic recovery of tourism, trade, and investment between Vietnam and China, and help Vietnam achieve international tourist targets this year.
