Bamboo Airways has confirmed plans to launch flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney at the end of this month.
The twice-weekly B787-9 service will commence on March 29, increasing to four flights per week by the end of 2022.
It will join Bamboo’s recently launched route between Melbourne and Vietnam’s largest city – the carrier is also set to launch flights between Hanoi and Melbourne in April.
Bamboo will go head-to-head with Jetstar and Vietnam Airlines on the Ho Chi Minh-Sydney route.
The airline said that data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism showed that over 383,000 Australian tourists visited Vietnam in 2019, before the onset of Covid-19.
Bamboo has been steadily expanding its international routes in recent months – a twice-weekly service between Hanoi and Frankfurt launched in February, and the carrier also says that it is “gearing up” to start flights between Hanoi and London in March, although an exact launch date has yet to be officially confirmed by the airline.
The airline also signalled its intention to launch flights between Ho Chi Minh and Frankfurt, and from both Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi to Munich, although again more concrete details have yet to be confirmed.
Commenting on the launch of the Ho Chi Minh-Sydney route Geoff Culbert, CEO of Sydney Airport, said:
“Hot on the heels of Australia’s borders re-opening it’s terrific to be announcing a new airline partner in Bamboo Airways.
“Vietnam is an incredibly popular destination for Australian leisure travellers and with a big Vietnamese diaspora in Sydney, it makes sense to build greater connectivity between our two cities.
“There is so much to love about Vietnam, and with this service increasing tourism capacity by more than 60,000 seats every year, I know many travel-starved Australians will be keen to get out and see one of the most exciting destinations in Asia.”
In September Bamboo Airways announced plans to launch flights between Ho Chi Minh City and San Francisco, although a launch date has yet to be confirmed for the service.