HÀ NỘI — The first Bamboo Airways commercial flight took off at 6am on Wednesday.

“This is the first commercial flight, and that is extremely important and meaningful for Bamboo Airways,” said Đặng Tất Thắng, Bamboo Airways’ General Manager. “The airline is expected to provide domestic and international customers with a new experience, good service quality and reasonable prices. We will bring our customers the services of a hospitable and friendly airline.”

The carrier will operate 37 routes connecting major cities and tourist destinations at home and abroad in 2019. The first domestic routes will be Hà Nội to Quy Nhơn, Hà Nội to Đồng Hới, HCM City to Quy Nhơn, Hà Nội to HCM City and HCM City to Vân Đồn.

Up to 60 domestic flights per day are planned, Thắng said. Flights to Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, and Europe will use wide-body aircrafts. The airline has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Civil Authority of Việt Nam to use the landing services and security checks at Tân Sơn Nhất (HCM City), Nội Bài (Hà Nội), Phù Cát (Quy Nhơn), Đồng Hới (Quảng Bình), Thọ Xuân (Thanh Hóa), and Cát Bi (Hải Phòng) airports. 

Bamboo Airways received a licence to transport passengers, mail and freight. It is Việt Nam’s fourth aviation carrier along side Vietnam Airlines, budget operators Jetstar Pacific and Vietjet Air, and Việt Nam Air Service (VASCO). The airline started selling tickets from 12pm on January 12, with prices starting at VNĐ149,000 (US$6.4) each.

Bamboo Airways is part of the Việt Bamboo Airlines Company based in the city of Quy Nhơn in Bình Định Province. The company, owned by property developer FLC Group, was established in 2017 with the charter capital of VNĐ700 billion ($31.4 million). FLC has positioned Bamboo Airways as a hybrid airline, blending low-cost traits with those of traditional or full-service carriers to meet the demands of every market segment.

The group has also invested in infrastructure to aid aviation operations, such as upgrading Phù Cát Airport in Quy Nhơn and roads connecting the airport to the Nhơn Hội Economic Zone. — VNS