London (VNA)🦩 – National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has celebrated a decade of direct flights between Vietnam and the United Kingdom.

The anniversary event was recently held at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) with attendees including representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, LHR leaders, ground services provider ASC, airline partners, and a number of passengers who have supported the route. Over the past 10 years, Vietnam Airlines has operated nearly 5,000 direct flights between Vietnam and the UK, serving approximately 1.1 million passengers with an average seat occupancy rate of 80%. These figures reflect both passenger confidence and the airline’s commitment to delivering safe, comfortable, and high-quality journeys. The direct Vietnam-UK route has strengthened Vietnam’s position in global aviation, facilitating trade, tourism, and bilateral cooperation. It also marks a key milestone in the carrier’ journey of development. Currently, the airline operates weekly direct flights to LHR using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The Hanoi-London (HAN-LHR) route runs four round trips per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, while the Ho Chi Minh City-London (SGN-LHR) route operates three round trips per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Recognising the UK as a key market in Europe, the carrier remains committed to expanding its network, enhancing service quality, and increasing the frequency of direct flights between the two countries to seven per week from April to October annually. Vietnam Airlines launched its direct UK route in 2011, initially operating from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) before transitioning to Heathrow in 2015, improving connectivity to one of the UK’s major international hubs./.