DOHA, QATAR — Qatar Airways will launch direct flights to Đà Nẵng starting December 19 as the third Vietnamese destination on the award-winning airline’s rapidly expanding global network.

The airline said in a statement on September 6 that it will offer four-times weekly flights with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of our newest gateway to Việt Nam, the beautiful city of Đà Nẵng. This new direct route demonstrates our commitment to expanding our presence in the Far East, a highly-important market for Qatar Airways."

Qatar Airways began direct services to HCM City in 2007, and launched its Hà Nội service in 2010. Currently, the airline provides twice-daily direct flights to Việt Nam’s capital city and 10 times weekly flights to HCM City.

The launch of direct flights to Đà Nẵng followed the newly announced service to Gothenburg, Sweden. As part of its continued expansion plans, Qatar Airways plans a host of new destinations throughout 2018, including Gothenburg, Tallinn (Estonia) and Valletta (Malta).

In October 2017, Qatar Airways announced its interline partnership with Vietnam-based Vietjet Air, allowing Qatar Airways’ passengers to travel to and from points in Việt Nam not served directly by Qatar Airways using a single reservation across both airlines’ networks.

Đà Nẵng, one of the largest cities in Việt Nam, hosted 6.6 million tourists including 1.67 million foreigners in 2017.

The city expects the new air route will help promote trade, investment and tourism between the central region and the Middle East. — VNS