Vietnam Air plans first direct flight to Britain

Vietnam’s flag carrier will fly to Britain starting in December, marking the first direct air link between the two nations which are expanding ties, the airline said in a statement.

State-owned Vietnam Airlines did not say how many flights would initially operate to London’s Gatwick Airport, or whether they would originate from Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport or Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat.

Opening the link “expresses outstanding effort and high determin-ation by Vietnam Airlines to promote the strong development of bilateral ties,” chief executive officer Pham Ngoc Minh said.

Vietnam and the UK last September signed a strategic partnership to boost ties in a range of areas including trade and investment, development and security.

Vietnam Airlines already serves European destinations in Paris, Frankfurt and Moscow. The Southeast Asian carrier is seeking to position itself as one of the region’s leading airlines.

Last year it became the first in Southeast Asia to join the SkyTeam global airline alliance, which includes Air France and Delta Air Lines of the US.

In late December Vietnam Airlines said it was expecting a pre-tax profit jump of 130 per cent year-on-year to $17.5 million in 2010, thanks to improved passenger numbers.