Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and ministry representatives cut the ribbon to celebrate the first Boeing 787 flight at the Cat Bi International Airport. — Photo VNA

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner of the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, flew between HCM City and northern Hai Phong City to celebrate the inauguration of Cat Bi international Airport on May 12.

The flights were witnessed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and by representatives of Hai Phong City and ministries.

General Director of Vietnam Airlines (VNA) Pham Ngoc Minh said the flights were a gift to celebrate Cat Bi Airport and Hai Phong.

Minh said using the Boeing 787 at Cat Bi Airport demonstrated VNA's commitment to work with domestic airports to develop domestic and international flight networks, improve service quality, and meet passenger demand.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights are a good use of Cat Bi Airport, which is designed for Vietnam Airlines's modern aircraft.

Vietnam Airlines has utilised air routes to and from Hai Phong since the 1990s. This has helped Hai Phong and Ha Noi to become important entrepots for travellers and goods in the country's northern region.

A corner of Cat Bi International Airport. — photo baogiaothong.vn

The airline will continue co-ordinating with relevant agencies to evaluate increasing passenger demand for more flights to and from Hai Phong, especially international routes. It also plans to use the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus 350-900 XWB to better meet increasing demand.

Vietnam Airlines and budget airline Jetstar Pacific operate about 100 flights per week on five routes to Cat Bi Airport, including between Hai Phong and HCM City, and Da Nang and Buon Me Thuot. The co-operation between the two airlines is part of the firms' strategic plan for developing the double brand, VNA-JPA, to serve passengers in the northern region.

There are three domestic airlines operating at the airport, including Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and Vietjet Air.

According to Hai Phong's People's Committee, there are four return flights per week between Hai Phong and Phu Quoc. There are also three return flights between Hai Phong and Da Lat. New international routes from Hai Phong to China, South Korea, Japan and Thailand will open soon. — VNS