T'way Air, a low-cost airline based in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea, officially launches direct flight connecting the central city of Da Nang and Seoul, Korea. — Photo T'way Air

DA NANG (Biz Hub) — T'way Air, a low-cost airline based in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea, has officially launched direct flights connecting the central city of Da Nang to Seoul.

A representative of T'way Air told Bizhub that Da Nang was the second city in Viet Nam served with a direct route by the airline.

He said the airline would operate four flights each week – on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays – from Da Nang to Seoul, leaving at 04.55pm local time, and from Seoul to Da Nang, leaving at 1.15pm local time.

The airline will use a 189-seat Boeing B737-800 aircraft and is offering a promotional price of US$250 for a return ticket.

Last year, the budget airline launched a direct flight connecting Seoul with HCM City, marking a new beginning for Korean low-cost carriers in the Vietnamese market.

Earlier this year, budget carrier Jeju Air also launched a new daily air route, between Da Nang and Incheon, Seoul, Korea, using a 189-seat Boeing B737-800 aircraft.

The new flight routes will create more options for Vietnamese tourists visiting Korea and for Korean travellers to the central coastal destinations in Viet Nam.

Da Nang plans to open more new flight routes to potential markets such as Japan, Moscow and Malaysia as well as promote existing routes to Singapore, Siem Riep and Hong Kong.

The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has operated a Da Nang-Busan route, with two flights per week, since 2013.

The central city serves 23 international air routes.

There are 12 flights from Korea to Da Nang every week, carrying an average of 1,500 passengers travelling between Da Nang and Korea.

Da Nang, which is home to a number of heritage sites in the central region, could enable greater co-ordination of tourism services between Jeju Island; Incheon, Seoul; and other localities, including Phong Nha-Ke Bang in Quang Binh Province, Hue City, Hoi An and My Son in Quang Nam Province.

In 2014, South Korea's Air Busan also started operating chartered flights between Da Nang and Busan.

Tourists from South Korea comprise the second-largest segment of foreign tourist arrivals in Da Nang, with over 100,000 tourists per year.

Da Nang alone has secured 28 projects from Korea, worth $701 million so far. — VNS