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| Vietjet Air leaders and flight crew pose for a photo with guests at the launch ceremony. (Photo: VNA) |
Prague (VNA) - Vietjet Air operated its first flight on the Prague–Hanoi route on October 10, adding air links between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, facilitating travel and tourism, and creating opportunities to expand economic cooperation between the two countries.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Duong Hoai Nam and representatives of Vietjet Air and airport officials attended the welcome ceremony for the inaugural flight at Vaclav Havel Airport.
In his remarks, Nam said the route was launched as the two countries’ Strategic Partnership continued to develop dynamically across a range of areas, including politics, trade, investment, tourism, education, science and technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
He stressed that improved connectivity would make it easier for Czech people to visit Vietnam for tourism, business, study and cultural exploration, while facilitating travel home for family visits and work by the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic.
The route is also expected to promote business meetings, expand business networks and create more opportunities for trade and investment cooperation between the two countries, he added.
He expressed confidence that the route would help strengthen the Vietnam–Czech Republic Strategic Partnership, not only at the government level but also by fostering closer ties and greater mutual understanding between the two peoples.
Flights will initially make a technical stop in Almaty, Kazakhstan, a measure the ambassador expects to be resolved in the coming months.
Vietjet Air operates the Prague–Hanoi route twice a week using Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a capacity of 377 passengers. Flights depart Prague at 8:55 p.m. every Tuesday and Saturday and arrive in Hanoi at 4:20 p.m. the following day, local time. In the opposite direction, flights leave Hanoi at 8:25 a.m. and arrive in Prague at 6:55 p.m. The route includes a stop in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
According to the Prague airport, the route is expected to serve more than 67,000 passengers in its first year of operation. Last year, more than 75,000 passengers travelled in both directions between Prague and Hanoi, mainly via connecting flights through international aviation hubs.
Josef Trejbal, sales director at ticketing website Letuška.cz, said air links with Vietnam meet a long-standing demand in the Czech market. Demand is expected to come from tourists, the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic and business travellers.
Round-trip tickets between Prague and Hanoi start at 18,000 CZK (830 USD), while passengers can also buy tickets for the Prague–Almaty leg separately at lower fares.
Prague is Vietjet Air’s first destination in Europe. Through the airline’s network, passengers can connect to more than 40 destinations across Asia. /.
