Vietnamese Ambassador to India Trịnh Minh Mạnh (middle) and Vietnamese Consul General in Mumbai Lê Quang Biên (fourth from left) at the flight route inauguration ceremony. —  Photo courtesy of the Vietnamese Embassy in India

NEW DELHI — Indian airline Akasa Air on September 4 officially launched a direct route between Mumbai and Hà Nội, marking its first expansion into Việt Nam.

The new route operates four flights a week and is the first direct Mumbai–Hà Nội service operated by an Indian airline. Hà Nội has become Akasa Air’s seventh international destination and its second destination in Southeast Asia, after Phuket, Thailand.

The launch ceremony at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to India Trịnh Minh Mạnh and Consul General of Việt Nam in Mumbai Lê Quang Biên, along with Akasa Air Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Anand Srinivasan and Co-founder and Senior Vice President for Strategy Bhavin Joshi.

Addressing the ceremony, Mạnh said the direct route between Mumbai and Hà Nội would not only provide a convenient transport link between the two major cities but also open up new opportunities for cooperation in tourism, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges between Việt Nam and India.

Mumbai is one of India’s most important financial, commercial and economic centres, while Hà Nội is Việt Nam’s capital and a major political, economic and cultural centre, he said.

The direct connection between the two cities is expected to help deepen bilateral economic cooperation while creating more favourable conditions for businesses from both sides to expand their operations and seek investment and business opportunities, the ambassador added.

The Embassy of Việt Nam in India said it had coordinated with relevant authorities and partners to support Akasa Air during preparations for the new route. It will continue working with the airline to enhance connectivity and strengthen Việt Nam-India cooperation, the embassy said.

The inaugural flight, QP625, departed Mumbai at 5:35 am on September 4 and landed at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội at noon the same day, local time. The return flight, QP626, departed Hà Nội at 1:30 pm.

The route is operated by Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with a flight time of about five hours.

Akasa Air’s launch of the Mumbai–Hà Nội route comes amid growing travel demand between the two countries, particularly among Indian tourists visiting Việt Nam.

The entry of another Indian airline on the Mumbai–Hà Nội route will provide passengers with more travel options while adding direct transport capacity between the two markets. — VNA/VNS