Vietnam Airlines to resume cooperation with Air France from March 26
VOV.VN - National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is set to resume its joint venture agreement with Air France following a period of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Nguyen Tien Hoang, head of Vietnam Airlines' branche in France and Europe.
Hoang pointed out that the resumption of the joint service between the two air carriers will provide customers with additional flight options, as well as optimising products and services among France, Europe, and Vietnam.
The joint venture agreement was originally launched by the two national airlines in 2017, but flights were suspended in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cooperation deal between the two airlines will take effect from March 26 with the aim of strengthening the linkages among the respective transshipment centres, namely Hanoi-based Noi Bai International Airport, Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, and Charles de Gaulle in Paris - one of the largest gateways in the world.
The move will see Air France operate flights on Hanoi - Paris air routes with a frequency of six flights per week between the two destinations. Both routes will make use of the modern wide body aircraft Airbus A350.
Vietnam Airlines will also operate flights on the Ho Chi Minh City – Paris air route with flight numbers AF258 taking passengers from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City and AF253 travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Paris.
France is one of the largest and most important markets of Vietnam Airlines in Europe since the launch of its first direct flight to Paris in 2003.
About 570,000 passengers took Vietnam Airlines flights between Vietnam and France in 2019 – a period before COVID-10 broke out.
