The carrier will fly four times a week to Hanoi and three times a week to Ho Chi Minh City with Boeing B787-9 Dreamliners
Vietnam Airlines, the flag carrier of Vietnam, has announced the resumption of daily non-stop flights to London Heathrow Airport, starting October 29. In a press statement, Vietnam Airlines says that it will run seven non-stop departures a week from October 29.
It says that the airline will gradually increase its flight frequency from London Heathrow to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Increased passenger demand for travel between the two locations led to the decision to increase flight frequencies, it adds. Before resuming the daily service for the first time since the epidemic, it will first increase the frequency of flights from three to five starting on July 1.
Vietnam Airlines general manager for the UK and Ireland Phan The Thang said the airline’s aim is to reach pre-pandemic passenger numbers “as soon as possible”.
“Vietnam Airlines made it a key priority to re-establish the connection to the important UK market last year, following the pandemic-enforced suspension of the route. We are proud to have carried approximately 29,000 passengers from Heathrow to Vietnam in just nine months last year, contributing significantly to the tourism recovery in Vietnam.”
The statement adds that the carrier will fly four times a week to Hanoi and three times a week to Ho Chi Minh City with Boeing B787-9 Dreamliners.
“With the resumption of daily services from London confirmed once again for this winter, we are determined to return to pre-pandemic passenger numbers – which peaked at approximately 74,000 from London Heathrow in 2019 – as soon as possible,” says Thang.
It adds that with operations shifting from Gatwick to Heathrow in 2015, the airline introduced the first-ever direct flights between the UK and Vietnam in December 2011. The pandemic forced a suspension of the daily service that was started in 2016. In June 2022, air travel resumed.
