Rahul Khanna, Yangon (2010-09-02)

VIETNAM Airlines (VNA) will launch a four-weekly direct flight between Yangon and Ho Chi Minh City from October 31.

The airline will also increase the frequency of its Yangon-Hanoi service, launched earlier this year, from four to five flights a week.

VNA Yangon office general manager, Cao Xuan Phu, said it planned to deploy the Airbus A320 to boost capacity on the Yangon-Hanoi service. It currently uses a 79-seat Fokker 70 aircraft on the route.

Yangon-based ticketing agents said they expected a stronger demand for flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s financial hub, rather than from the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.