Vietnam Airlines marks 20 years of direct flights between Vietnam and France

The function was held as part of activities aimed at celebrating the 50th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two countries. 

Dang Ngoc Hoa, chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines, said two decades since the launch the direct route, Vietnam Airlines has transported a total of 3.8 million passengers and 174,500 tonnes of cargo. The average annual growth rate of passengers and cargo in the period before the COVID-19 pandemic stood at 5% per year and 10% per year, respectively.

Currently, with a frequency of 10 to 11 flights per week using the wide-body Airbus A350 aircraft, Vietnam Airlines has secured the leading market share on the route with the efficiency of seat utilisation reaching 84%.

For his part, Nguyen Ngoc Canh, vice chairman of the Committee for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises, highlighted Vietnam Airlines' efforts in terms of overcoming challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly recovering air routes heading to France.

He noted that Vietnam Airlines has made great strides in terms of acting as a bridge in which to promote joint diplomatic relations.

Meanwhile, Mathilde Teruya, representative of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of Southeast Asia Division, also expressed her delight at the time-honoured relationship between the two countries in multiple fields, ranging from history, language, culture, and economics over the past five decades. Indeed, the aviation co-operation between the two sides will serve to open up bright prospects ahead for future ties.

Le Hong Ha, general director of Vietnam Airlines, pointed out that the establishment of a direct route marks an important milestone which has contributed to fostering economic - trade - social exchanges between the two countries whilst saving travel time for passengers.

Moving forward, Vietnam Airlines will continue to implement a programme aimed at improving service quality, whilst striving to become a five-star airline in order to enhance the customers’ digital experience and digital transformation in the industry.

Currently, France represents one of the leading trade partners of the nation in the EU, with two-way trade turnover between the two nations witnessing an average growth rate of 15.7% per year in the 2011 to 2019 period.

Last year's two-way trade turnover reached US$5.34 billion, up more than three times from the figure of US$1.6 billion back in 2009.

With this direct route, Vietnam Airlines will continue to make an important contribution to promoting economic, cultural, and social connectivity between Vietnam and France, as well as with the EU in general.