The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines should work to ensure safe and competitive services while operating flights to Russia as traveling between Vietnam and Russia is now more important than ever before when they are working to promote their comprehensive strategic partnership, particularly in trade and investment, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (fourth from left) attends the ceremony to mark
the 15th anniversary of Vietnam Airlines' direct flight to Russia. (Photo: VNA)

Attending a ceremony held on May 23 by Vietnam Airlines to mark the 15th anniversary of its direct flight between the two nations, PM Phuc said that with a modern fleet, high-quality services as well as well-trained pilots, Vietnam Airlines has been a prestigious airline in Vietnam and the whole world.

Speaking highly of the carrier’s role as an ambassador to enhance the friendship and nudge Vietnamese people and land closer to the Eastern European country, PM Phuc asked Vietnam Airlines to continue shaping up its sustainable development plan and oragnising cultural activities during the Vietnam Year in Russia and the Russia Year in Vietnam towards the 70th celebration of the diplomatic relations.

He wished that competent authorities of Russia will create favourable conditions for Vietnam Airlines so that it can provide quality services for the passengers, especially departure time, apron and aviation procedures.

Vietnam Airlines open its first flight to Russia on July, 1993 with transit point in the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai.

Eleven years later, the carrier operated direct service to Russia with Boeing 777- the most modern plane at that time, helping increasing the number of passengers transported by 10 times. 

Vietnam Airlines has used wide-body 787-9 Dreamliners on the route to improve service quality and flight experience of its customers since 2018.

The carriers’ flights have become an important bridge to promote connections as well as open comprehensive cooperation opportunities in economy, science, education, culture-tourism between Vietnam and Russia.

According to Chairman of Vietnam Airlines Board of Management Pham Ngoc Minh, the carrier’s extensive global network and collaboration with many reputed airlines in the world allow its passengers to travel to Asia and Europe via Russia easily. 

Particularly, Vietnam Airlines will move its operations in Moscow from Domodedovo Airport to Sheremetyevo Airport from July 2, 2019. The effort aims to increase connectivity among flights to destinations in Russia and Europe through the codeshare of Vietnam Airlines and Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot.

When switching to Sheremetyevo, Vietnam Airlines will change the timetable of flights between Hanoi and Moscow to make them more convenient for passengers. Specifically, the flights will take off at 1:10 in Hanoi and 14:40 in Moscow. 

Russia has been among top 10 of tourist sources of Vietnam. In 2018, more than 600,000 Russians travelled to Vietnam, making their country the sixth largest source market of visitors to the Southeast Asian country. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism forecast that the number will reach 1 million in 2020.

Earlier, PM Phuc received Kaspersky Lab CEO Kaspersky Evgeny Valentinovick, during which PM Phuc stressed that Vietnam wants cooperation in cyber security and hopes Kaspersky will help the Vietnamese Government in the field, especially the prevention of virus and malicious code in state-owned agencies’ computer systems.

The Vietnamese Government always facilitate conditions for Russian enterprises and Kaspersky in particular to operate their business in Vietnam, he stressed.

The Kaspersky Lab CEO, for his part, said that the firm will help Vietnam with solutions to ensuring cyber security, and will pen specific roadmap and duplicate the model in the country.