SYDNEY – Vietjet will launch a non-stop service between HCM City and Brisbane (Australia) to boost the region’s integration and trade exchange.

This move followed an agreement inked between the Vietnamese airline and Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), Queensland, on Friday. The signing ceremony in Sydney was witnessed by visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and senior leaders of the two countries.

The direct flight route between the two cities is expected to be launched in 2019.

Travel between Queensland and Việt Nam has been growing at an average of 8 per cent per annum over the past five years, Julieanne Alroe, CEO and managing director of BAC, said, adding that this new service will further stimulate the market.

“It makes perfect sense for Vietjet to choose Brisbane, Queensland, as its very first Australian port for direct flights given that HCM City is one of Brisbane’s top five markets without non-stop services. We look forward to welcoming Vietjet to the Brisbane Airport family and further strengthening the ties between Queensland and Việt Nam,” she said.

“Vietjet has been prepared for international aviation integration to connect Việt Nam’s economic and tourism hubs with international destinations, including Australia,” said Vietjet Vice President Nguyễn Thị Thúy Bình.

The HCM City-Brisbane route — the first non-stop service between the two cities— will meet the increasing travel demand from businesspersons and tourists, she said.

As the capital of Queensland, located in Southeast Australia, 900 kilometres from Sydney in the north, Brisbane is the third populous city of Australia and known as “the new world city” by the locals.

On the same day, Vietjet and Investec Bank PLC also signed a memorandum of understanding worth US$609 million to finance its purchase of five Airbus A321 aircraft at the manufacturer’s list price. -VNS