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(CPV) - Etihad Airways, the national airlines of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will operate direct flights between Ho Chi Minh City and the capital of UAE - Abu Dhabi in October 2013.
Speaking at a press conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 9, Etihad Airways Managing Director, Mr James Hogan, said that his company will use Airbus A330 M aircraft (capacity 262 seats). The flight will depart from HCM City at 8:15 am and land in Abu Dhabi seven hours later. This aircraft will be able to carry more than 10 tonnes of cargo.
The nonstop flights between the two capital cities will be operated on a daily basis, offering business and economy classes, providing a weekly capacity of 3,668 round-trip tickets.
Photo: http://www.andhrareporter.com
Upon operating this route, Etihad Airways would become the third Middle East carrier to offer flights to Vietnam. Currently, Qatar Airways is operating flights between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City via Bangkok, and Emirates Airlines also operates nonstop flights between Dubai and Ho Chi Minh City.
Earlier, Etihad Airways inked a codeshare partnership with Vietnam Airlines in order to sell tickets to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City via Bangkok through Vietnam Airlines.
The upcoming air route will help bring Vietnam and the UAE closer, as well as open up economic opportunities and boost trade, tourism, culture, energy, infrastructure, and civil construction in both nations.
In the Southeast Asia region, Ho Chi Minh City is the sixth direct flight destination of Etihad Airways, after Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore.
“In the future, we will set up a representative office in Vietnam, creating a professional marketing staff to link with travel agencies and cargo services companies. We do hope to bring happiness and comfortable moments for passengers from Europe, the Middle East and the overseas Vietnamese communities during their holidays”, said Mr James Hogan.
The carrier is also considering opening another air route from Hanoi to the UAE.
Up to now, the investment of UAE in Vietnam stands at more than USD 3 billion and bilateral trade at around USD 1.3 billion./.
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