The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has launched a direct route linking Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta in Indonesia. Flights are scheduled for every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

The inaugural flight, carrying 143 passengers, landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta on December 2.

It is the first direct air link between Vietnam and Indonesia and the second new international route Vietnam Airlines has offered this year.

Addressing the opening flight’s landing ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Nguyen Xuan Thuy stressed the importance of the direct route between Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta for the cities and Vietnam and Indonesia .

The connection not only serves the growing demand for transport between both nations, but contributes to strengthening bilateral relations and boosting ASEAN connectivity and integration towards an ASEAN Community aviation market by 2015, Thuy said.

On the occasion, Vietnam Airlines offered special discounts on HCM City-Jakarta and HCM City-Jakarta-Bali routes.