VOV.VN - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc cut the ribbon to open Vietnam’s latest carrier Bamboo Airways’ three new air routes from the northern port city of Hai Phong to Quy Nhon, HCM City, and Can Tho on the morning of May 10, with each route flying one round-trip per day.

The flight time for the Hai Phong – Quy Nhon route is estimated to be one hour 35 minutes, the Hai Phong – HCM City route two hours, and the Hai Phong – Can Tho route two hours and five minutes.

The routes are among the first in Bamboo Airways’ plan to develop a network of flights connecting Hai Phong’s Cat Bi international airport with other domestic airports, including Da Nang and Phu Quoc, and with international airports in Bangkok in Thailand, Singapore, Seoul in the Republic of Korea (RoK), and Siem Reap in Cambodia in the future. 

Dang Tat Thang, CEO of Bamboo Airways, said the opening of the new air services are part of the airline’s roadmap to operate between 37 and 40 domestic and international air routes this year.

To mark the occasion, Bamboo Airways has officially offered low-cost tickets on air routes leaving from Hai Phong, with a starting price of VND200,000 for flights between May 10 and May 16. 

Along with the FLC group increasing investment into Hai Phong city, the new air routes are expected to establish a value chain that attracts more tourists to the locality, Mr Thang noted. 

Last year Cat Bi international airport served 2.3 million passengers, an increase of 10.6 per cent compared to 2017’s figure. It also conducted over 14,000 flights, a rise of 11 per cent from 2017. 

During 2019, the airport aims to welcome more than 2.5 million passengers and conduct a total of 16,000 flights. 

Currently there are five airlines opening a total 12 air routes to Cat Bi airport, three of which are to the RoK, Thailand, and China. 

Last year, Cat Bi international airport was judged to have first class standards of service.