International passenger traffic at the non-metro Tiruchi international airport is poised to increase, with new-age carrier VietJet Air, the largest private airline in Vietnam, launching direct flight services from Ho Chi Minh City to Tiruchi and back.
The first Tiruchi-bound VietJet flight from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, landed in Tiruchi at 11.30 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, 2023, with incoming passengers being given a warm welcome at the airport by the airline officials.
The flight departed from Tiruchi to Ho Chi Minh city at 12. 30 a.m. on Friday, November 3. A little over 100 passengers were on board the first flight from Tiruchi to Ho Chi Minh City, said airline sources.
The airline will be operating an A-320 flight with a seating capacity of 180, in this sector.
A samll function was organised by the VietJet airlines team at the Tiruchi airport on Thursday night, in which airport officials participated, to mark the launch of the new service .
The flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Tiruchi will be operated on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The services from Tiruchi to Ho Chi Minh City will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the early hours.
Tiruchi has become the fifth destination in India where VietJet operates. The airline has already introduced its services in New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
VietJet is the seventh international airline to start operations from the Tiruchi international airport from where Sri Lankan Airlines, AirAsia, Malindo Air, Scoot, Air India Express and IndiGo are already operating flights to different overseas destinations. Ho Chi Minh City has become the 10th overseas destination to have connectivity with Tiruchi after Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait and Muscat.
“The launch of new flight services to Ho Chi Minh City from Tiruchi by the VietJet airline is a very positive development for the Tiruchi international airport,” said P. Subramani, Airport Director, Tiruchi. The launch of the direct service would provide a great chance for travellers from Tiruchi and its neighbouring districts to visit Vietnam, besides further increasing international passenger movement from the Tiruchi airport, Mr. Subramani said.
According to the Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) statistics, the number of international passengers at Tiruchi airport was over 6.3 lakh from April to September 2023. This was higher than the corresponding period of 2022 when overseas passenger numbered a little over 5.3 lakh.
