Vietjet Air announced on May 19 the launch of a new route connecting Hiroshima and Hanoi, within Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Japan and attendance at the expanded Hiroshima G7 Summit.
This is the first-ever direct service linking Vietnam with Hiroshima and is the carrier’s eighth route to Japan..
The twice-weekly return service, which will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays, will commence on July 19. With a flight time of approximately four hours and 30 minutes per leg, passengers will depart Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 2.15am and land at Hiroshima International Airport at 8.45am. The return leg will depart Hiroshima at 9.45am and arrive in Hanoi at 12.35pm (all local times).
“We are working with Hiroshima International Airport to expand its aviation network,” Mr. Masahiko Tanabe, Deputy Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, told the announcement ceremony. “I am very pleased to announce the opening of Vietjet’s new route today, the first air service in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions connecting to Vietnam. I hope the direct flights to and from Hiroshima will enhance travel convenience between Vietnam and the prefecture and look forward to active mutual exchanges in a wide range of fields, including business and tourism.”
Vietjet CEO Dinh Viet Phuong said that as a proud member of Keidanren, the largest comprehensive economic federation in Japan, it is firmly committed to continually expanding its network linking Japan and Vietnam and offering more bilateral and multilateral cooperation opportunities as well as more convenient flight options for passengers. “Vietjet plans to provide 1.5 million seats on flights between the two countries this year, comprehensively connecting Japan’s biggest tourism and economic hubs to attractive destinations in Vietnam and many other regional countries, such as Australia, India, Kazakhstan, and elsewhere,” he added.
Vietjet currently operates seven direct routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. It also operates charter flights from Vietnam to destinations such as Niigata, Shizuoka, Fukushima, and Ehime.
Located in southwestern Japan, Hiroshima is a strategic point linking Kansai and Kyushu and serves as a hub for businesses, with a developed marine economy and heavy industry.