Da Nang - Hong Kong air route launched

The Airbus A320 of Dragon Air carrier is seen at the Da Nang International Airport in Da Nang March 28, 2013

The Dragon Air plane carrying 168 passengers made a safe landing to the airport in the central city of Da Nang in the morning.

Da Nang is becoming an important destination in terms of economy and tourism for the central Vietnam, Dragon Air’s general managing director Patrick Yeung said at the opening ceremony.

The new air route will create chances and advantages to boost the number of tourists between Hong Kong and Vietnam, he added.

Dragon Air will offer three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays with an Airbus A320 to Da Nang.

The coastal city is scheduled to see two more international air routes open next month, according to Ngo Quang Vinh, director of the city’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

They include the Macau – Da Nang, and Moscow – Da Nang services, he said.

In related news, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is also set to officially launch a direct air route connecting Moscow and the coastal city of Nha Trang, its third direct service between Vietnam and Russia, on April 5.

At first there will be only one weekly flight, on Fridays, and the service is estimated to take ten and a half hours on a Boeing 777. The frequency will be increased to two flights a week this October to meet demand.

The new service is expected to bring more Russian guests to Vietnam, as well as to neighboring destinations in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. It is also intended to diversify domestic tourism products, the airliner said.

In 2012 Vietnam received some 180,000 Russian tourists, 45 percent of whom toured Khanh Hoa Province. A majority of the Russian guests came from nine cities in Far Eastern Russia through Cam Ranh International Airport, according to the Vietnamese Government Portal.