(VOVWORLD) -Vietnam and India are in talks to increase flights between the two countries by either this year or next, according to Nguyen Trung Hieu, representative of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines. He added the first step will be increasing flight slots.
The current Vietnam-India bilateral air service agreement allows 28 weekly departures from major metropolitan airports. Meanwhile, two of Vietnam’s biggest carriers, Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air, are operating a total of 28 flights per week.
Hieu said that India is an important market for Vietnam’s aviation sector and his airline is committing resources to provide many more air routes connecting Vietnam to destinations in South Asia, Europe, America, and South Korea for this market.
Starting May 15th, the company will deploy the brand new Airbus A350 on flights from New Delhi to Vietnam and vice versa.
According to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the number of international passengers to and from India in the fourth quarter of 2023 increased by more than 150% compared to a year before, reaching nearly 187,000 passengers.
Indian tourists are also showing an increased interest in Vietnam, as the Southeast Asian nation is becoming their top pick for tourism, according to Indian ticket and accommodation booking services.