Summary
- Vietjet expands its network within the Asia-Pacific region, with recent routes connecting Hanoi to Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City to Vientiane.
- The inaugural ceremony for the Hanoi-Siem Reap route was attended by Vietnamese Prime Minister and Cambodian Prime Minister, highlighting the importance of regional connections.
- Vietjet operates each day flights between Hanoi and Siem Reap, using Siem Reap Angkor International Airport because the principal gateway to the famous Angkor archaeological site.
Certainly one of Asia-Pacific aviation 2023 highlights will undoubtedly be the aggressive expansion into Australia by Vietnam’s largest private airline, Vietjet. That may be a story for an additional day, but last week, the ultra-low-cost carrier added more Asian routes to its network, steadily growing its reach across the Asia-Pacific region.
A top-level audience for Cambodian launch
At a glittering inaugural ceremony on December 12, Vietjet announced its recent route connecting Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, to the fabled city of Siem Reap, the heritage city of Cambodia. These kind of events normally attract airline management, local politicians and tourism bodies, but this one was something entirely different, demonstrating how critical regional connections are to countries throughout Southeast Asia.
Photo: Vietjet
The ceremony took place on the Vietnam – Cambodia Investment and Trade Promotion Forum in Hanoi, within the presence of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. The ceremony, held in Hanoi, also attracted leaders of each countries’ ministries, departments and businesses.
Putting his stamp on things, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed his anticipation for increased international flights within the near future and his hope that Vietjet would proceed to open more flight services that bridge the 2 countries. Through the event, he also prolonged his congratulations and high appreciation to Vetjet for launching the Hanoi – Siem Reap route, connecting Vietnam and Cambodia.
Photo: Vietjet
The brand new service is now operating each day, with the December 16 flight (VJ913) departing Hanoi Noi Bai International (HAN) at 16:35 and arriving at Siem Reap Angkor International at 17:58. It was operated with a 2015 Airbus A320-200, registration VN-A655 and MSN 06498, that departed Siem Reap at 19:02 and arrived in Hanoi at 20:22.
Photo: VietJet
In response to Vietjet’s website, this route may also be operated by an Airbus A320-200, which, in line with data, is one in all 18 within the airline’s fleet. The whole data listing shows that Vietjet has a complete fleet of 84 aircraft, including 36 A321-200s, 23 A321neos, seven A330-300s and 18 A320-200s. Affiliate Thai Vietjet also has an all-Airbus fleet with 12 A320-200s and 6 A321-200s.
The complete extent of Vietjet’s ambition is seen in its aircraft orders, which the airline said amount to greater than 370 recent aircraft. Most of those are for Boeing 737 MAX variants, including the high-density 737-MAX 8-200, and Airbus A321neos, including the additional long-range A321XLR.
Have you ever traveled on a Vietjet A320 or A321 flight? Allow us to find out about it within the comments.