Expanding its global flight network and aspiring to become the second-largest airline in Southeast Asia, Vietnam Airlines aims for this goal.

With the goal of welcoming 22-23 million international visitors in 2025 of the Vietnamese tourism industry, the contribution of airlines plays a very important role in realizing this goal. Vietnam Airlines - the national airline has "spread its wings to fly high" to many new international destinations continuously in recent times to increase coverage and market share for the new period.

Strong recovery and expansion

In 2024 and early 2025, Vietnam Airlines strongly recovered its international flight network, both in terms of the number of routes and operational results. The airline opened 13 new routes, bringing the total number of international routes to 69, serving 37 destinations in 21 countries – an unprecedented rate of network expansion compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Most recently, on July 2nd, Vietnam Airlines and Saudia officially entered into a codeshare partnership to enhance connectivity for passengers traveling between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, including benefits from frequent flyer programs, contributing to improved service quality and enhanced flight experience.

According to the agreement, Vietnam Airlines flights operating under a codeshare agreement with Saudia will display Saudia's flight number (SV code), and conversely, flights operated by Saudia will also bear Vietnam Airlines' flight number (VN code).

Passengers from Vietnam can easily travel from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to Jeddah and Riyadh with just one booking and check-in, opening up opportunities to explore the Middle East more conveniently than ever before. Vietnam Airlines Golden Lotus members can accumulate miles and use reward miles to redeem reward tickets when flying with other SkyTeam airlines.

In 2024, the number of travelers between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia reached over 20,000, a 64% increase compared to the previous year, demonstrating strong growth potential in the aviation and tourism sectors. Furthermore, the simplified and expedited e-visa policy for Vietnamese citizens traveling for tourism, conferences, or visiting relatives has contributed to reducing procedures and travel preparation time. This is also part of the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy, aimed at promoting tourism and international exchange, especially with dynamic markets like Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Trung, Head of Planning and Development at Vietnam Airlines, said: “The agreement with Saudi Arabia marks a strategic step in Vietnam Airlines’ journey to expand its international flight network, especially to the Middle East – a market with great potential and impressive growth rates in tourism and aviation.”

Previously, the Hanoi - Milan (Italy) route was also officially launched, with a frequency of 3 round-trip flights per week. Milan is Italy's second-largest economic center and an important gateway to Southwest Europe. This city will play a strategic role in Vietnam Airlines' flight network, helping passengers conveniently access destinations across Europe.

The new route facilitates the promotion of two-way passenger traffic between Vietnam and Italy in particular, while strengthening Vietnam Airlines' market share on routes between Vietnam and European countries. According to data from the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, Italy is among the top 10 fastest-growing markets in 2024, with visitor numbers increasing by 155% compared to 2023. Eliminating transit through a third country will enhance the travel experience and create momentum for a significant increase in the number of Italian tourists visiting Vietnam in the coming years.

Thus, in the first half of 2025, the airline opened six new international routes to Beijing, Bangkok, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Busan, and Bali, while restoring three key routes to Moscow, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong. The two flagship routes to Milan and Copenhagen will be launched in July and December of this year, respectively.

As an airline holding over 50% of the domestic market share, Vietnam Airlines has set a goal of becoming the top 2 airline in Southeast Asia in terms of scale, ranking among the top 10 most popular airlines in Asia, maintaining its 4-star service standard and aiming for 5-star international standards. Therefore, specific preparations have been made to expand international routes and increase the size of its fleet to achieve these goals.

Significantly improved international exploitation efficiency.

At the recent shareholders' meeting at the end of June, Vietnam Airlines' leadership stated that on some routes, passenger volume and seat occupancy rates still have room for improvement. The main reasons stem from price competition, changes in travel habits after the pandemic, and a longer low season in some markets. However, understanding these trends, the airline has implemented a comprehensive set of solutions:

Enhance the sale of transit passengers (franchise rights 6): Transit passenger volume in 2024 will increase by 13%, and revenue will increase by 16% compared to 2023; flexibility in pricing policy: proactively launching sales according to market segments, adjusting prices seasonally, promoting off-peak sales to optimize seat occupancy rates, especially during off-peak seasons.

On the other hand, the airline is stepping up its market promotion efforts: combining product introduction programs, trade incentives, and flexible pricing to improve the operational efficiency of each route. Simultaneously, it is expanding international sales partnerships: Vietnam Airlines has partnered with many global partners such as Expedia, Trip.com, American Express... and will continue to expand with major players like Agoda, Traveloka, and BCD in 2025 to increase coverage and sales.

Vietnam Airlines and Saudia have officially entered into a codeshare partnership.

These solutions have significantly improved the efficiency of tourism exploitation, with the number of international visitors to Vietnam in the first five months of 2025 increasing by an average of over 6% compared to the same period.

Faced with increasing competition from major domestic and international airlines on international routes, Vietnam Airlines has determined that only through extreme flexibility, strict risk mitigation, and optimization of fleet efficiency and new products can it secure a strong presence in the international aviation market and move closer to its target of becoming one of the top two airlines in Southeast Asia.

Source: https://thesaigontimes.vn/mo-rong-mang-bay-toan-cau-and-ky-vong-so-2-dong-nam-a-cua-vietnam-airlines/