Business News
Vietnam's Air Mekong to launch in October
Aug 16, 2010, 10:29 GMT
Hanoi - The third privately owned airline to try to crack the Vietnamese domestic market plans is to begin operations within two months, a government official said Monday.
Deputy Minister of Transport Pham Quy Tieu said Air Mekong would launch its first domestic flights in October.
The country's first private carrier, Indochina Airlines, began flying in late 2008 but closed in 2009 after losses of 2 million dollars. A second private airline formed in 2007, VietJet Air, but has yet to launch its first flight.
Air Mekong will fly leased Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft on routes between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as the tourist towns of Dalat, Danang, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang and Haiphong, the state-run newspaper Thanh Nien reported Monday.
The airline's headquarters will be located on the beach resort island of Phu Quoc.
State media said Air Mekong is not a budget airline, and prices would be comparable to those of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.
In February, Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia bought a 30-per-cent stake in VietJet Air, but it is not yet clear when the new airline will start flying.
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