Russian flag carrier Aeroflot plans to restart direct flights between Moscow and Vietnam ‘s Ho Chi Minh City starting January 31. The service will run twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays, utilizing Boeing 777 planes with 368 seats.
The flight duration between the two cities is approximately nine hours and 15 minutes.
In early December, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam permitted Aeroflot to resume direct services, including flights to Hanoi, suspended since March of the previous year due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Vietnam Airlines, the sole Vietnamese airline operating flights to Russia, also suspended its Moscow service simultaneously.
For almost two years, travelers between Vietnam and Russia had to opt for Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, or Turkish Airlines flights with layovers in the Middle East due to the suspended direct services. This resulted in higher fares for passengers.
Before the onset of COVID-19 in late 2019, Russia ranked among the top 10 countries sending tourists to Vietnam.
However, due to the absence of direct flights, arrivals from Russia dropped significantly to 97,000 this year, which is one-fifth of the pre-COVID numbers, primarily with people arriving on charter flights.
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