The first passengers on a flight of Malaysian Airlines are welcomed at Đà Nẵng International Airport. The airline will operate seven flight per week between Đà Nẵng and Kuala Lumpur. — VNS Photo Công Thành

Malaysian Airlines officially opened its daily direct flight to connect Kuala Lumpur and the central beach city, marking the third airline operating on the route after Air Asia and Batik Air.

The first flight, MH748, carried the first 160 passengers to the beach city on an aircraft Boeing B737-800 on September 24, promising a busy air service with booming tourism and investment from the Southeast Asian nation.

The airline will operate seven flights per week to increase its weekly service total to 34 flights from Malaysia to Việt Nam.

The central city is hosting 28 flights a week from Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia and Batik Air on the Đà Nẵng-Kuala Lumpur route, according to Đà Nẵng International Terminal Company (AHT).

Malaysian tourists are in the top ten visitors in terms of numbers visiting Đà Nẵng with 75,000 visitors in the first seven months of 2024 and the introduction of the new air route would help foster investment from Malaysia in the central city.

The city has plans to build itself as an international finance centre, a free trade zone and a semiconductor and innovation hub in central Việt Nam.

A Boeing B737-800 of Malaysian Airlines lands at Đà Nẵng International Airport in a welcoming ceremony on September 24. — Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City's Tourism Promotion Centre

Đà Nẵng has been seeking links and cooperation with the southern state of Malacca, the Malaysian International Financial Centre and the free trade zone in Port Klang Tanjung Pelepas, the city’s Investment Promotion Agency reported.

The agency said Đà Nẵng has drawn 18 investment projects from Malaysia with total US$222 million. The beach city is a favoured entry port to the UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites in central Việt Nam, including Huế Monuments complex in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and Hội An ancient town in Quảng Nam Province.

Currently, Đà Nẵng International Airport hosts 16 international routes including to Thailand, Singapore, China's Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong (China), Cambodia, South Korea and Japan, with an average of 50 flights per day. — VNS