Sydney (VNA) – Vietnamese budget carrier VietJetand the Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) of the Australian state ofQueensland signed a cooperation agreement in Sydney on March 16 to open adirect route connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Brisbane.

The deal was inked in the presence of PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is on an official visit to Australia, JamesMcGrath – Assistant Minister to the Australian Prime Minister, and officials ofVietnam and Australia.

The direct route linking HCM City and Brisbaneis scheduled to open in 2019.

CEO and Managing Director of BAC JulieannneAlroe said the travel frequency between Queensland and Vietnam has risen by anaverage of 8 percent annually over the last five years. VietJet selectedBrisbane as the first destination in Australia for a direct flight with HCMCity given the Vietnamese southern metropolis is one of the five biggestmarkets of Brisbane but there is yet a direct route between them.

Vice Chairman of VietJet Nguyen Thanh Hung saidthe carrier has continually upgraded its fleet and expanded the domestic andinternational flight network so as to bring more flight opportunities tomillions of Vietnamese people and tourists around the globe.

During PM Phuc’s trip, VietJet and theAustralian branch of Investec also signed an agreement on financial aid forfive Airbus A321 planes with total value of 609 million USD.

VietJet is a member of the International Air TransportAssociation (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate.The airline was also named as one of the Top 500 Brands in Asia 2016 by globalmarketing research company Nielsen and the “Best Asian Low Cost Carrier” at theTTG Travel Awards 2015, which compiles votes from travelers, travel agenciesand tour operators in throughout Asia and Asia’s Best Employer Brand by theEmployer Branding Institute and World HRD Congress for many years. The airlinewas also rated as one of the top three fastest growing airline brands onFacebook in the world by Socialbakers.

Currently, the airline boasts a fleet of 55 A320and A321 aircraft, and operates 385 flights each day. It has alreadytransported more than 55 million passengers on a network featuring 82 routes inVietnam and across the region to international destinations such as Thailand,Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), China,Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar andCambodia.              

Looking ahead, the airline plans to furtherexpand its network across the Asia Pacific region. To prepare for this plan,VietJet has signed agreements with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturersto purchase more brand-new and modern aircraft.-VNA