NEW DELHI, Apr 20:
Four new flight routes between India and Vietnam were inaugurated on Wednesday by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is on a three-day visit to the Southeast Asean country.
Birla and Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue not only restored the direct air services between the two countries that were suspended in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also inaugurated air services on new routes, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a statement.
Before the outbreak of the pandemic, Vietnamese airlines VietJet was operating regular flights from Hanoi and Ho Chin Minh City to New Delhi.
However, these services were suspended after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. These flights have now been resumed during Birla’s visit to Vietnam, the statement said.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Vietjet said it will now operate six flights between India and Vietnam in a phased manner starting April 29.
It said the flights on the Delhi-Hanoi and Delhi-Ho Chi Minh City routes will resume on April 29 and April 30, respectively.
The four new routes inaugurated by Birla will connect Hanoi-Mumbai, Ho Chi Minh City-Mumbai and the southern resort island of Phu Quoc in Vietnam with New Delhi and Mumbai.
Vietjet will operate flights on these new routes. The flights connecting Mumbai with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will start from June 3 and June 4 respectively and those linking Phu Quoc with Mumbai and New Delhi will be available from the second week of September.
Speaking on the occasion, Birla said the new and increased connectivity between Vietnam and India will generate business and tourism opportunities, which will boost the economies of both countries.
India resumed scheduled international passenger flights from March 27 after a two-year-long hiatus due to the pandemic.
During this period, only limited international passenger flights were operating to and from India under air bubble arrangements formed with specific countries. India had no such air bubble arrangement with Vietnam.
A memorandum of understanding for a joint venture between Galaxy Digital Holdings, Sovico Group of Vietnam and Tech Mahindra Limited of India was also signed in the presence of Birla and Hue. (PTI)
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