Vietjet to enter nonstop Vietnam-Australia market

Vietjet plans to become the third airline to enter the nonstop Vietnam-Australia market, starting with a route not yet served by either of the incumbent carriers. Vietjet signed an agreement to launch flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Brisbane, Australia, next year. The airline has yet to announce frequency or aircraft type. It currently operates Airbus A320s and A321s, but has A321neos and Boeing 737-8s on order. Vietnam Airlines already operates flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Australian cities Sydney and Melbourne. It also launched flights from Hanoi to Sydney in March 2017. A Vietnam Airlines executive recently said the airline does not plan any new services to Australia because there is already plenty of capacity in that market. Australia's Jetstar Airways became the second carrier and first LCC—in the Australia-Vietnam market—in May last year. The airline started 4X-weekly flights from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City and 3X-weekly flights from Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City, in both cases using 787-8s. These flights connect to 15 destinations via the Jetstar Pacific network, which is a joint venture with Vietnam Airlines.<br/>