Phu Cat Airport in the south-central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh on Saturday welcomed 144 Korean passengers on a Bamboo Airways flight departed from South Korea, marking the commencement of the airport’s international air service.

Flight QH9457 departed from Cheongju International Airport in the namesake city at 9:10 am local time on Saturday and landed at Phu Bai Airport at 12:00 pm on the same day, according to Vietnamese news site Zing.

Bamboo Airways said it would operate eight direct flights between Binh Dinh and Cheongju in January.

Ho Quoc Dung, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying the operation of the international route brings a good opportunity for Binh Dinh to connect with the world, thus luring more foreign tourists and investors to the province.

The T2 terminal of Phu Cat Airport is capable of receiving 600,000 international passengers a year, he said.

Bamboo Airways hopes to contribute to developing the transport network in Binh Dinh and the south-central region of Vietnam towards offering high-quality air services to customers with its strategy to increase domestic and international flights through Phu Cat Airport, the airline's Deputy General Director Truong Phuong Thanh was quoted by the state media as saying. The direct route between Phu Cat and Cheongju airports is the fourth one between Vietnam and South Korea operated by Bamboo Airways.

Other routes are between Incheon and the Vietnamese cities of Hanoi, Da Nang and Cam Ranh.

As well as being a commercial airport, Phu Cat is also used by the Vietnamese People's Air Force.

It has served as the hub of Bamboo Airways since the airline's launch in January 2019.

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