Vietnam Airlines begins flights to Frankfurt
HANOI - Vietnam Airlines began a twice-weekly service to Frankfurt, its second European destination after Paris, as part of its rapid route expansion strategy.
Using Boeing 767 aircraft, the national flag carrier will fly every Tuesday and Thursday from Ho Chi Minh City to the German capital with stopovers in Hanoi and Moscow.
"We have initiated this route to serve the large number of overseas Vietnamese living in Germany," Vietnam Airlines spokesman Nguyen Chan said.
In June last year, the state-owned company begun a thrice-weekly non-stop service to Paris from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Over the past year, Vietnam Airlines, which flies to more than 20 international destinations, has inaugurated a number of new routes and has earmarked further expansion.
Earlier this week the carrier announced plans to double its fleet to 70 aircraft by 2010 to establish itself as a major player in the regional aviation industry.
In 2003, despite the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak and the war in Iraq, Vietnam Airlines carried 4.05 million passengers, up one percent.
The company has set itself a target of carrying five million passengers this year, of which it expects almost half, or 2.4 million, to be foreigners.
Agence France Presse - January 08, 2004.
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