AirAsia launched its inaugural direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phu Quoc Island, the first of its kind to connect the famed Vietnamese island with the Malaysian metropolis, on Friday.

The AirAsia flight AK545 departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 at 12:50 pm with a 90 percent passenger load factor and arrived at Phu Quoc International Airport at 1:35 pm.

Guests onboard the Airbus A320 were greeted by Phu Quoc deputy chairman Huynh Quang Hung and local authorities upon arrival.

The budget Malaysian airline now offers four weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Phu Quoc.

“We’re proud to be the first airline to connect Malaysia to Phu Quoc, yet another unique route pioneered by AirAsia,” said the airline’s Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat.

Asmat said that it is encouraging to see how well the destination has been highly received, and expressed hope that this direct service, in tandem with Phu Quoc’s visa-free policy, will accelerate international arrivals to the island and boost tourism receipts.

Travelers from any country may visit Phu Quoc visa-free for up to 30 days.

Guests flying from elsewhere in AirAsia’s extensive network, including China, India, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, can also connect seamlessly to Phu Quoc using the Fly-Thru transit service via Kuala Lumpur.

Phu Quoc is AirAsia’s fifth route into Vietnam. Besides Phu Quoc, AirAsia also flies to four other destinations in Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi and Nha Trang.

The Phu Quoc - Kuala Lumpur flight was inaugurated hot on the heels of AirAsia’s launch of the Hanoi - Chiang Mai service, with four flights a week, on Sunday.

The new service to the Vietnamese capital also established AirAsia as the airline with the most international routes to and from the largest city in northern Thailand, with other destinations including Macau, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, Changsha, Yangon and Taipei.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!