Vietnam offers to cut airport charges
NEW DELHI - Vietnam has invited airlines from India to operate regular services to the country and has offered lower airport charges for flights that are operated to its airports. "We will offer lower airport charges for airlines arriving in either Hanoi or Dang Nang. Besides, we will allow code-share flights from either Singapore, Kuala-Lumpur and Bangkok, among other areas," the Deputy Head, Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, Mr Pham Vu Hien, told Business Line.
Officials said that Vietnam's plan for operating flights to India has temporarily been put on hold. "We had planned to operate flights to India during this year, but there is a shortage of aircraft in our fleet, and therefore, we cannot operate flights just yet," Mr Hien said. The aircraft in the fleet are currently being used to meet the demand on other routes.
However, Vietnam, which received three million foreign visitors last year, is keen to attract more Indian tourists. While the Vietnamese Embassy in India issues about 17,000 visas annually, only between 7,000-10,000 Indians visit Vietnam for tourism purposes, Mr Hien pointed out. The Vietnamese official was in the Capital to attend a seminar on `Tourism and aviation: Where are we' organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
Vietnam, which is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), has been allowed to operate daily flights to the four metro cities in India, in addition to operating flights to 18 tourist destinations here.
By Ashwini Phadnis - The Hindu Business Line - January 16, 2005
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