Chris van den Hooven, Cathay Pacific’s country manager for Vietnam, underlined the growth potential at a media briefing in HCMC yesterday. The event was organized to review the airline’s performance in this market and to announce the official rebranding of Dragonair under Cathay Pacific as Cathay Dragon.
Cathay Dragon said in a statement that the rebranding would bring the award-winning airline closer to Cathay Pacific in a launch that will provide customers with a more seamless travel experience across the airlines’ respective regional and international networks.
Cathay Dragon now operates 10 weekly services from Hong Kong to Vietnamese capital Hanoi and seven flights a week to Danang, a central coastal city which has emerged as an attractive destination for Chinese-speaking travelers including those from Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific offers 18 flights a week between Hong Kong and HCMC, using its modern Airbus A350 aircraft for the route on most days of the week.
Van den Hooven described the past 25 years active in Vietnam as “a successful story” for Cathay Pacific and added that the airline saw an opportunity to expand in this market, supported by high economic growth and stronger demand for air travel.
Data of the General Statistics Office showed Vietnam welcomed more than 28,560 visitors from Hong Kong in the first 10 months of this year, up a staggering 72.5% compared to the same period last year.
Cathay Pacific’s business in Vietnam has fared better in the year to date, he said, and the carrier embraces a long-term commitment to the Vietnamese market because of its growth potential.
Asked how Cathay Pacific can deal with rising competition from other airlines, particularly carriers from the Middle East, he said that Cathay Pacific’s advantages lie in its flight network and frequency as well as in-flight offers.
Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon offer seamless connectivity at their hub in Hong Kong, where they can find good connecting flights to other parts of the world including North America, according to him.
