On 1 September, the budget carrier Jetstar Pacific Airlines officially opened direct air routes linking Ha Noi, Da Nang with Japan’s Osaka City.

A Jetstar Pacific aircraft (Photo: Jetstar Pacific )

With the launch, Jetstar became the first low-cost airline to offer direct services between Viet Nam and Japan.

The airline operates 4 round trips per week using the 180-seater Airbus A320 on the 2 routes.  One-way tickets have been sold from mid-June priced from 68.18 USD, exclusive of taxes and fees.

Nguyen Quoc Phuong, Jetstar Pacific Director General, said that a total of more than 20,000 tickets for both routes have been booked to date.  The 2 first flights reported an occupancy rate of over 90%.

At present, there are about 16,000 Japanese people in total living and working in Viet Nam, whilst a total of around 180,000 Vietnamese are living and working in Japan.

Last year, Viet Nam welcomed more than 740,000 Japanese tourists in total, and the number is expected to grow, especially with the launch of the low-cost air services.

Jetstar Pacific, a member of Jetstar Group, one of the Asia Pacific’s largest low-budget carriers, is flying on 37 domestic and international routes.  It has 2 major stakeholders – Viet Nam Airlines and Qantas Airways.

(Source: VNA/DA NANG Today)