Chartered flights to central Vietnam on the rise | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Chartered flights to central Vietnam on the rise | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update: "VietNamNet Bridge
- The number of chartered flights to central Vietnam is jumping between now and
the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday compared to a year ago, according to the
Danang-based tour operator Vi-tours and the aviation authority.



Vitours director Cao Tri Dung estimated local and foreign
airlines had 12 to 15 charter flights from China,
Hong Kong, Taiwan,
Korea and elsewhere in Asia
to Danang International Airport
alone in the period, with more than half of them catered to by Vitours.



Dung told the Daily on the phone on Monday that the number
of chartered flights to the region in the period would triple or quadruple that
in the year-ago period. This substantial increase is attributable to the fact
that more foreign travel agencies are choosing central Vietnam as a new destination for
their guests, coupled with a recovery of global travel demand.



“They (foreign travel agencies) charter flights for their
customers to Phuket and Bali in previous years and now is the time for them to
visit central Vietnam,”
Dung said. He added this region was able to meet requirements for accommodation
and entertainment, as it was now home to many luxury properties and
UNESCO-listed heritage sites, including the former imperial capital of Hue and the Phong
Nha-Ke Bang
Caves in Quang Binh Province.



Dung said over half of the chartered flights to central
Vietnam were operated by Vietnam Airlines from such markets as Korea, Hong Kong
and Japan, and the rest by TransAsia Airways of Taiwan and other foreign
carriers.



The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) said
Shanghai Airlines had suspended services to Danang
International Airport,
but this did not result in a reduction in frequencies of chartered flights to one
of the four international airports in central Vietnam. The others in the region
are Phu Bai, Cam Ranh and Chu Lai airports.



CAAV demonstrated that Russia’s
Vladivostok Air had kicked off their chartered flights from Vladivostok
and Khabarovsk to Cam
Ranh International
Airport in Khanh Hoa Province.



About one month ago, Vietnam Airlines started a series of
more than 40 flights chartered by the international travel firm Vietlink from Hong Kong and Danang until early May next year, using the
184-seat Airbus A321 aircraft.



Dung of Vitours said over the past years, Vietnam Airlines
and other carriers had operated their medium-sized aircraft with 160 to 180
seats for the chartered flights to and from Danang with an average load factor
of 70%.



Dung said the visitors using chartered flights often stayed
four to five days exploring services and destinations in central Vietnam,
and spent much money on services and products there.



Attracting visitors to central Vietnam on chartered flights
promises a bright future because the number of scheduled flights to the region
remains limited. Singapore’s
SilkAir now has four weekly flights to Danang while Vietnam Airlines has
launched its daily HCMC-Tokyo service with a stopover in the central city.



Dung said Vitours had invested US$40,000-50,000 this year on
promotion and support programs in order to bring more chartered flights to
Danang, or double the amount the company spent last year.



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