The first flight with 173 passengers from Singapore landed at Da Nang International Airport on November 27. — Photo Jetstar

DA NANG (Biz Hub) — Low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia has launched three direct flights a week between the central city and Singapore.

The first flight with 173 passengers from Singapore landed at Da Nang International Airport on November 27. The return flight, which was filled to capacity, departed for Singapore on the same day.

It was the first direct flight by a budget airline between Da Nang and Singapore, with the one-way ticket costing 80 and 85 Singapore dollars (US$56.6-$60.13) for the three-hour flight.

Jetstar's head of commerce Francis Loi said Da Nang would be a fresh and new destination that would attract tourists from Singapore to its pristine beaches.

He said the airline would connect Da Nang as a new destination for Australian, Indonesian and Malaysian tourists arriving by connecting flights from Singapore.

As planned, Jetstar Asia will use the 180-seater Airbus A320 to operate direct flights between Da Nang and Singapore on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday every week.

The launch of the new direct flights will boost tourism in the city and the central region, which has world heritage destinations.

Vice-Director of the central city's Culture, Sports and Tourism department Tran Chi Cuong said the city expected to host 4.6 million tourists, including 1.25 million foreigners, this year.

Jetstar Asia, a member company of the Jetstar Group - comprising Jetstar Airways in Australia and New Zealand, Jetstar Pacific in Viet Nam and Jetstar Japan - operates 600 weekly return flights to 26 destinations in 13 countries across the world.— VNS