First time operating direct flight route Hanoi - Milan

On July 1, Vietnam Airlines officially launched a direct flight from Hanoi to Milan. This is the first direct flight between Vietnam and Italy.

Passengers check in for flight Hanoi - Milan - Photo: VNA

Vietnam Airlines flight VN73 carrying 155 passengers departing from Hanoi landed safely at Milan Malpensa International Airport at 7:40 a.m. on July 1 (local time), marking the first direct flight between Hanoi and Milan. This event also marked the first direct flight between Vietnam and Italy.

Immediately after the plane landed at Milan Malpensa Airport, Vietnam Airlines coordinated with partners to organize a solemn welcoming ceremony to open the Hanoi - Milan route with the presence of Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, representatives of the Lombardy region government and airport leaders.

Following that, flight number VN72 departed from Milan at 12:45 on July 1 and landed at Noi Bai International Airport at 4:35 on July 2 (Hanoi time), marking the establishment of the first direct flight between Vietnam and Italy.

To operate the Hanoi - Milan route, Vietnam Airlines uses wide-body Boeing 787 aircraft with a frequency of 3 round trips per week on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, with a total flight time of nearly 12 hours per leg.

The Hanoi - Milan direct route is the airline's 10th direct route to Europe, aiming to facilitate the two-way traffic between Vietnam and Italy. At the same time, the route to Milan - Italy's second largest economic center and an important gateway to the Southwest Europe region - in addition to consolidating Vietnam Airlines' market share on routes to Europe, also helps passengers from Vietnam have more opportunities to conveniently access destinations in Europe.

According to Mr. Dang Ngoc Hoa - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines, the operation of the direct flight route Hanoi - Milan not only shortens the geographical distance but also opens up great opportunities in developing tourism and economic exchange between Vietnam and Italy - one of the potential European markets.

This is Vietnam Airlines' contribution to the strategic step in the journey to realize the goal of welcoming 22 - 23 million international visitors in 2025 of the Vietnamese tourism industry.

According to data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Italy is a country in the top 10 best growth markets in 2024, with the number of visitors equal to 155% compared to 2023. Having a direct flight from Hanoi to Milan means that passengers between Vietnam and Italy no longer have to transfer through a third country, helping to improve the experience, while creating momentum for the number of visitors from Italy to Vietnam to increase dramatically in the coming years.

At the recent 30th anniversary celebration of Vietnam Airlines, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked Vietnam Airlines to think big, fly high, reach high, and spread across five continents. Because wherever Vietnam Airlines flies, the country's "soft borders" will follow.

Therefore, the opening of the Hanoi - Milan direct flight, in addition to its commercial purpose, also demonstrates Vietnam Airlines' role in the journey of expanding soft borders, bringing our country into deeper integration with the world.

TUAN PHUNG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lan-dau-tien-khai-thac-duong-bay-thang-ha-noi-milan-2025070121224983.htm