National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines (VNA) has recently launched a series of new breakthrough products and services on this route.
Important aviation gateway
Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Dinh Viet Thang said that in the near future, the aviation market of Vietnam and ASEAN will become bustling and full of competition. The deregulation of fare regulations and charter flight restrictions have had a strong impact on the structure of air transport prices. Airlines can be flexible in setting rates, offering competitive rates, suitable for passenger segments, thereby improving operational capacity and boosting air transport growth in the region in general and in Vietnam in particular.With a market and a population of nearly 100 million with increasingly improved incomes, Vietnam continues to be a destination for investment, business and tourism for both foreign investors and tourists. Along with the deep integration of the Vietnamese economy with the regional and international economies, the Vietnamese aviation industry has seen many opportunities for growth and development.
In mid-December, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) gathered a range of statistics, the results showing that the Hanoi-HCMC route is the world’s second busiest in November after the Republic of Korea’s Jeju-Seoul. In the VNA flight network, the route was exploited right from the start of the airline, playing a particularly important role in the business of the VNA Group (including VNA and Pacific Airlines) as well as in serving the political, economic, cultural and tourist duties of Vietnam. With the strategic role and great demand for the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh route, the VNA has constantly improved and continuously launched products and services on this route to increase its attractions and offer the best guest experience to passengers.
The airline has invested in developing a fleet of wide-body aircraft Asia-Pacific, the second largest in Southeast Asia with its two main aircraft lines Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. Of which, there are 14 Airbus A350s-900, 11 Boeing 787-9, three Boeing 787-10 ,serving the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh city route and international routes to Europe and Australia. In addition, the airline also operates this route according to the strategy of developing a "dual-brand" to meet the diverse demands of customers with a wide range of diversified products, flexible flight schedules and types of services suitable to the requirements of all types of passengers. "This combination has contributed to consolidating the market share of the VNA Group, which has always beenmaintained at more than 50% onthis route as well as in the domestic market", according to the VNA representative.
Raising service levels
By 2020, VNA’s passenger volume on the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh city route accounted for 25% of the total number of domestic passengers (on average, one out of every four VNA passengers took the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh route). In April, 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic became very complicated, the number of passengers flying between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City decreased by only 15% over the same period; but in May, when the pandemic was brought under control, the number of passengers was restored to 100%. Currently, the VNA Group provides about 104,000 seats per week, transporting 92,000 passengers between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, equivalent to 98% of the same period last year and accounting for a 57% share of the total market.
In order to elevate the route to a core product in the domestic market, from July this year, VNA launched the identifier and the name "VNAXPRESS - Ho Chi Minh route" creating outstanding advantages. Accordingly, on average, VNA and Pacific Airlines make nearly 40 flights per day between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City route with a frequency of 30 minutes to one hour, meeting the travel demands of passengers at all times. The departure times of the flights are arranged inround time frames (5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 7 o'clock, etc.) spreadfrom 6 to 21 hours daily, making it easy for passengers to to plan their tickets.
The flights are enhanced with wide body aircraft with a journey time of 2 hours per flight, giving passengers the opportunity to regularly experience the most modern aircraft in the world. In the event of an early arrival at the airport, passengers may be invited to fly at an earlier departure time, if the flight has room, within 120 minutes of departure, even after passing the security screening area. Passengers are allowed to use the passenger boarding bridge, with their own check-in counters and boarding gates. The check-in counters are located near the security entrance to help passengers save time and enhancel convenience.
In addition, passengers also enjoy the full range of VNA’sservices at a 4-star international standard from ground to air. For the first time on this route, Economy Class passengers can enjoy a variety of new dishes, while Business Class passengers can choose from a variety of dishes from traditional to European flavors in three time frames: Breakfast, noon and evening. Passengers also experience the reading space of E-reader covering various topics in both the Vietnamese and English language.
Publications are regularly updated and supplemented to bring the latest information to passengers. “Putting into operation the electronic publication is part of VNA's overall strategy to keep pace with global trends and become a digital airline while improving the quality of in-flight reading services, ensuring the health of passengers by limiting their exposure and contributing to reducing the amount of paper to protect the environment”, said the VNA’s leader.
