The national carrier Vietnam Airlines (VNA) will resume a direct flight between Da Nang and Tokyo's Narita Airport with four flights per week starting from March 26 as part of the 2023-27 promotion and cooperation agreement with the central city.

VNA Deputy General Director Trinh Ngoc Thanh stressed at the official signing ceremony on Friday that cooperation with the central city has been positively growing since the previous five-year deal in 2018-22.

Thanh said VNA has operated seven out of eight domestic flights since the city began the post-COVID-19 economic recovery plan.

He said the airline also covers three of 16 international routes connecting Da Nang and the global destinations.

VNA has resumed four flights, from Da Nang to Bangkok, Thailand and daily Da Nang-Incheon, Korea. At the same time, the Narita-Da Nang route will begin in celebration of the city’s Liberation Day (March 29) and busy summer vacation trips.

Deputy Chairwoman of the city’s People’s Committee Ngo Thi Kim Yen said the prolonged strategic partnership proved a new period of better cooperation. The two sides will develop into more comprehensive strategic partners in 2023-27.

She said that the two partners agreed to promote investment, trade, tourism and destinations for both sides in the next five-year period, focusing on full post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

She said the agreement would help boost tourism in Da Nang City via VNA’s flights from Da Nang. In contrast, the city will promote VNA’s destinations of international and domestic air routes at tourism and cultural events.

According to the city’s tourism department, Da Nang hosted 3.7 million tourists in 2022.

Da Nang has 24 direct air routes, of which 16 are internationals, hosting an average of 100 and 112 flights per week.

The central city will be hosting series international events in 2023 including the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival; the ASEAN Students Sports Games; and the Asia Films Festival.

VNA has recovered 60 per cent of flights since the two-year COVID-19 deadlock, and it plans to resume chartered flights between Da Nang and China by the middle of April, according to Thanh. — VNS