Vietnam Airlines held an inauguration of the Mumbai – Hanoi route, with the first flight VN972 carrying nearly 200 passengers on Airbus A321 aircraft, departed at 23:10 (local time) from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai). This is the second route of Vietnam Airlines connecting Vietnam and India, after New Delhi.

Hoang Tung, Consul General of Vietnam in Mumbai, Tran Phuong Anh, Vice Consul of Vietnam in Mumbai, and representatives of Vietnam Airlines and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport attended the traditional lamp lighting ceremony and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate this memorable event. Passengers were given flowers and took photos with the crew as well as other representatives.

Vietnam Airlines Deputy CEO Trinh Ngoc Thanh said: “With a new route connecting to Mumbai – India’s important financial, commercial and cultural center, Vietnam Airlines demonstrates its commitment to constantly expanding its network, giving passengers better flexibility and connectivity. We hope this new route will help to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries as well as the the economies.”

Vietnam Airlines will operate Mumbai flights with a frequency of four flights per week from Hanoi on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and three flights per week from Ho Chi Minh City on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Previously, the airline launched a direct route connecting Vietnam and New Delhi from June 2022 with a frequency of three flights per week from Hanoi on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; two flights per week from Ho Chi Minh City on Thursdays and Saturdays. Flights are operated by Airbus A321.

The total number of visitors between India and Vietnam in 2019 (pre-epidemic period) reached 319,000 arrivals, an increase of 35 per cent over the same period last year. India is one of Vietnam’s top trade partners, while Vietnam is also India’s 15th largest trade partner and fourth among Southeast Asian countries. The new Hanoi – Mumbai route will make an important contribution to enhancing trade, cultural and social exchanges between the two countries.