This is part of the prefectural government's efforts to increase international flights to Nanki Shirahama Airport after more than five years of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The announcement was made by Mr. Shuhei Kishimoto, Governor of Wakayama Prefecture, at the opening session of the prefectural assembly on June 13. Accordingly, the first two round-trip flights will be conducted on July 26 and 30 between Nanki Shirahama Airport and Hanoi and Da Nang .

Illustration photo: VGP

The aircraft used is an Airbus 320 with 140 seats, expected to carry a delegation of Wakayama prefecture officials to visit localities in Vietnam and welcome tourists from Vietnam to the province. In addition, a group of high school students from both countries will also be on the flight to participate in some youth exchange activities.

Nanki Shirahama Airport used to have charter flights from South Korea, China, and several other countries but had to temporarily suspend operations in 2018 when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

During this time, the Wakayama prefectural government decided to upgrade and build a new 2-storey international terminal with a total usable area of ​​3,800 m2. Although the project was completed and put into use in 2021, the promotion of international flight connections was still delayed due to strict Covid-19 epidemic control regulations.

After the Japanese government eased border controls from October 2022, the Wakayama prefectural government allocated 21 million yen (about 150,000 USD) from the local budget to promote and facilitate international flight connections.

The promotion of opening air routes between Wakayama Prefecture and Vietnam's international airports has been relatively smooth since last year due to the close relationship between the two sides. In particular, the Unshu tangerine specialty has been launched at Aeon supermarket chains in Vietnam since December 2021.

Wakayama Prefecture is not only famous for Shirahama Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Japan, but is also considered the "kingdom" of many delicious fruits grown on organic farms, cultivated on a large scale and meeting strict regulations on quality and safety. Wakayama Prefecture is also the place that receives a large number of Vietnamese technical interns to work in the fields of agriculture, food processing, seafood processing, etc.

VNA