- Vietnam’s flagship carrier adds a fifth weekly service from Gatwick
- UK arrivals into Vietnam have increased by 40 per cent year-on-year since nonstop services were launched
2013-04-22 — /travelprnews.com/ — Vietnam Airlines has announced it will be extending its services from Gatwick Airport.
During the summer season, Vietnam’s flagship carrier will add a fifth weekly service from Gatwick, increasing its Ho Chi Minh City route from two to three flights a week. The airline will also continue to serve Hanoi twice a week.
The announcement comes as the UK and Vietnam celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Throughout 2013, a programme of cultural, educational and innovation exchanges and events will mark the milestone year.
Relations have grown rapidly between the UK and Vietnam, with the two countries signing a Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2010 to help boost bilateral trade, economic ties and investment. The following year, Vietnam Airlines announced it had chosen Gatwick as its exclusive partner in the UK, launching the country’s first nonstop flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in winter 2011.
Vietnam is one of the most popular destinations in the Asia-Pacific region with around 100,000 UK holidaymakers travelling to the country each year. Vietnam is also a key emerging market for business. Designated one of the UK Trade and Investment’s ‘High Growth Markets’, bilateral trade increased by over 26% in 2011, with UK exports of goods and services to Vietnam reaching £520m.*
Alongside its expanded links to Vietnam, Gatwick already serves the key emerging markets of China, Russia and Turkey. Additionally, the UK’s first direct route to Indonesia – South East Asia’s largest economy – will launch from Gatwick later this year, serving Jakarta six times a week.
Matt Wood, Head of Airline Relations, said: “We are delighted that Vietnam Airlines has decided to expand its services from London Gatwick during the summer months, ensuring that both business and leisure passengers now have even more choice of when to fly to this fantastic destination.
“Air links to high-growth markets such as Vietnam are essential in ensuring that the UK can compete and make the most of the significant trade opportunities available with key emerging markets. Gatwick continues to demonstrate that it can open up these links but also, by working closely with our airlines, make them a success.”
David Cook, Sales Manager UK, Vietnam Airlines, said: “Following our successful launch of the first ever nonstop services from the UK to Vietnam, UK arrivals into Vietnam rose by over 40 per cent year on year. We are very encouraged by the positive results so far, and are now trialling additional frequency in the summer months to gauge market response, with a view to possible future expansion into 2014.”
*Source: UKTI
Notes to Editors
Notes to editors
In low season – April/May and September/October – direct services to Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines will include a stopover in Frankfurt. Outside of low season, flights between Gatwick and Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City will be nonstop.
Trade and investment in Vietnam
UK – Vietnam trade has registered consistent double-digit growth over the past decade and currently stands at well over £1 billion.
Major UK exports are in medicinal and pharmaceutical products, leather products, niche engineering components, telecommunications and sound recording equipment plus professional, scientific and control instruments.
Major imports from Vietnam include footwear, seafood clothing, accessories and furniture.
(Source: British Embassy website, Hanoi)
About Vietnam Airlines
As the national flag carrier of Vietnam, headquartered in Hanoi, Vietnam Airlines operates 83 routes to 20 domestic and 26 international destinations with more than 320 daily flights. Operating a young fleet of 70 aircraft including Boeing 777s, Airbus A330s, A321s and A320s, the airline plans to further expand its fleet to 115 and 170 aircraft by 2015 and 2020 respectively, to include the latest Airbus A350XWBs and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Vietnam Airlines became an official member of SkyTeam Alliance on June 10 2010 and is the first representative of SkyTeam in South East Asia. www.vietnamairlines.com
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About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves around 200 destinations in 90 countries for around 34 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 23,000 on-airport jobs and a further 13,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is 28 miles south of London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.
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