A Jetstar A330-200 landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport last night for the first time, marking the launch of the Australian low cost carrier’s direct flights from Sydney.
Gerry Turner, Jetstar’s Group GM Operations told a welcome reception at the airport that passengers occupied over 90% of the 303-seat aircraft of the maiden flight from Sydney and that the company expectations were high for this market, saying, ““We believe this market will be one of the most successful for Jetstar.”
The launch of Jetstar flights also marks the economic and tourism development between Australia and Vietnam in addition to making the airline the 26th international carrier that operates direct flights to and from Vietnam.
Jetstar CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement that Qantas and Jetstar would continue to fly to more destinations in Asia and that Vietnam was important to the airlines to expand their international flights.
Jetstar’s service on this route will leave Tan Son Nhat Airport at 9:40 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and land in Sydney at 10:15 a.m. in the next morning of the days, taking approx eight hours to complete flights between the two cities.
More than 140,000 Australians visited Vietnam last year and the number exceeded 138,000 in the first 10 months of this year.
Joyce said the number of Australian tourists to Vietnam grew 15% in 2005 and the number of Vietnamese travellers to the country was up 23% last year.
Report by The Mole
