A new international airline will begin direct flights to Vietnam from Melbourne airport, a sign that the travel industry is recovering from the pandemic.
Bamboo Airways will fly twice a week between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City from April next year, increasing to four flights a week and adding nonstop service to Hanoi.
In 2019, more than 53,000 visitors to Victoria came from Vietnam, a figure that had increased by about a quarter every year since 2014 until the pandemic struck.
The country is also one of Victoria’s main export markets, with the value of goods reaching $ 695 million in 2020-2021.
One of the state’s largest cohorts of international students also comes from Vietnam, with around 8,000 Vietnamese students currently enrolled in Victorian schools and universities.
Victorian-era Commerce Minister Martin Pakula said the new airline would support thousands of jobs in Melbourne’s aviation industry and along the supply chain.
“Attracting new international airlines to Melbourne is an important way to invest in our economic recovery,†he said.
Bamboo Airways was created in 2017 and operates planes from the French group Airbus as well as Dreamliner planes from Boeing.
The Victorian government is also opening a new commercial office in Ho Chi Minh City.
Associated Australian Press
