Bamboo Airways has launched its second route into Melbourne, Australia, with its inaugural Hanoi - Melbourne service touching down on Thursday. The flight follows the launch of Ho Chi Minh City - Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City - Sydney flights in February and sees Bamboo Airways duke it out with Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar for business on the Vietnam - Australia country pair.

Bamboo Airways will initially operate one return flight per week between Melbourne and Vietnam's capital using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Pushing back from Hanoi (HAN) every Wednesday at 18:30, QH82 will fly through the night to land in Melbourne (MEL) at 07:00 the following day. After three hours on the ground, QN83 will depart Melbourne at 10:00 on Thursdays and touch down in Hanoi at 16:45 on the same day.

It will take Bamboo's Dreamliner around nine and a half hours to fly the 4,781 miles (7,694 kilometers) between the two cities. Bamboo Airways has configured its 787-9s with 294 seats across three classes. There is space for 26 seats in the business class cabin, 21 seats in premium economy, and 247 economy class seats.

Bamboo Airways Crew Melbourne Airport
Bamboo Airways flight crew in Melbourne on Thursday. Photo: Melbourne Airport

Another international route for Melbourne Airport

Bamboo Airways calls itself a ‘hybrid’ airline. These kinds of mid-market airlines combine the bare essential fares in economy class to compete with the low-cost end of the market with comfortable travel in business. Indeed, Bamboo's business class product is pretty spot on. They've gone for the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats in a 1-2-1 layout, with a lie flat bed and privacy partitions between seats.

“Australians love visiting Vietnam, and Bamboo Airways’ non-stop services provide great travel options between the two countries,” said Jim Parashos, Melbourne Airport's General Manager of International Recovery. “For the large Vietnamese community here in Australia, it will also provide an essential connection to family and friends back home.

“Bamboo Airways has shown its commitment to Australia by developing multiple new routes in quick succession, even in the middle of the pandemic. We are once again thrilled to be part of their ever-expanding plans.”

Bamboo Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
The airline has been rapidly expanding its network lately. Photo: Bamboo Airways

Bamboo Airways cracks open the Vietnam-Australia country pair

In 2019, the last year of uninterrupted flying before the pandemic saw services suspended, there were 2,349 flights on the Vietnam - Australia country pair. According to the Australian Government's Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) statistics, 1.28 million people flew nonstop between the two countries that year. Back then, Bamboo Airways was just getting its wings and not yet flying to Australia. Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar divvied up the market, with Vietnam Airlines jagging the lion's share. Qantas once briefly flirted with Ho Chi Minh City but couldn't make the route work.

Fast forward to April 2022, and Bamboo Airways has cracked open the cozy Jetstar / Vietnam Airlines duopoly. Both the latter airlines are back flying between Sydney (SYD) and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN). But the new Bamboo Airways flights will hook Australia's second-biggest city, Melbourne, into the Vietnam - Australia route network and offer the Hanoi option. It represents a significant shaking up of the Vietnam - Australia country pair market.

“Our Melbourne-Hanoi route comes into operation with a promise of convenience, time-saving, and a hassle-free travel experience," says Truong Phuong Thanh, Deputy General Director of Bamboo Airways, "Especially when Bamboo Airways is the first and only Vietnamese airline to operate this non-stop regular service."