After a profitable 2021, VietJet continues to spread its wings, opening direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai, India.

On June 3, Vietjet flight VJ907, operated by an Airbus A320-214 registration VN-A676, departed Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) at 21:38. It arrived at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) at 00:31 on June 4, a flight time of 4:23 hours. Flightradar24.com data shows the return flight VJ910 departed Mumbai at 02:06 and landed in Hanoi at 08:01.

More direct routes between Vietnam and India are now open

The inaugural service from Ho Chi Minh City International Airport (SGN), flight VJ883, departed at 23:21 on June 4 and arrived in Mumbai at 02:23 on June 5. It returned as flight VJ884, departing Mumbai at 04:00 and arriving in Ho Chi Minh City at 10:38. The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320-214, registration VN-A672 with a flight time of around 4:38 hours.

The Ho Chi Minh City-Mumbai route will operate four weekly while the Hanoi service will be three weekly, although Vietjet said frequency will increase to meet customer demand. Vietjet VP Do Xuan Quang said:

"We believe that the two services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai as well as the coming Phu Quoc - Mumbai route will strengthen the ongoing relationship of Vietnam's two biggest cities with Mumbai."

Currently, VietJet is operating three weekly direct services to Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) from both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The new route to Phu Quoc, a Vietnamese island off the coast of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand, will commence on September 9 and initially operate four round trips weekly from Mumbai and three from Delhi.

According to ch-aviation, Vietjet has a fleet of 77 aircraft which it operates on 93 routes to 38 destinations in nine countries. It has 18 Airbus A320-200, 38 A321-200, 12 A321-200N and seven A321-200NX aircraft. Vietjet also has two Airbus A330-300s, the second of which was delivered in March. It has a massive number of aircraft on order, including 200 Boeing B737 MAX, 119 Airbus A321neo, and one Airbus A330-300.

VietJet is looking to expand in India, Australia, and Europe

Vietnam is now open to international visitors and from May 15 arriving passengers no longer have to undergo COVID-19 testing, regardless of their vaccination status. VietJet says this makes Vietnam the first country in Asia-Pacific to be fully open to international travelers. The airline says the direct routes to Mumbai and Delhi will make it easier to attract Indian travelers and will facilitate connections to other tourist destinations, such as Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Hue.

Vietjet has reopened services and increased frequency on its international routes to Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and India. It plans to use the new Airbus A330 and A321XLR aircraft to develop new long-haul routes, specifically targeting Europe and Australia. Its goal is "to connect Vietnam to the world and bring the world to Vietnam."

Helping VietJet capitalize on Vietnam's reopening, is its strengthening recovery in 2021. It reported consolidated revenue of VND12,875 billion ($566 million) and an after-tax profit of VND80 billion ($3.52 million). In 2021 VietJet operated nearly 42,000 flights, carried more than 5.4 million passengers and doubled its cargo revenue from 2020 levels. After ten years of operations since launching in 2011, VietJet has carried more than 110 million passengers.

It is certainly looking ahead and working hard to develop links to the Indian market. With flight times of less than five hours and attractive holiday destinations, it's likely the new direct links to Delhi and Mumbai will pay off for the low-cost carrier.

Will the open border policies, direct flights and aircraft on order redefine Vietjet's place in the Southeast Asian market?

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