Charter flights take off in Vietnam

A total of 28 charter flights between Can Tho and Thailand’s capital Bangkok will be launched during the June-August period, serving some 5,000 passengers, the World Transportation Services Joint Stock Company (WorldTrans) said. Jetstar Pacific announced that it would operate charter flights to China during the third quarter of this year. In July and August 2018, the airline will offer additional charter flights from Da Nang to Fuzhou twice weekly.

Vietjet revenues from leasing air charters have surged from VND412 billion in 2014 to more than VND2.63 trillion in 2016. On average, one in every four of its flights is an air charter.

Charterer flight buyers benefit from fast airport check-in and even visa exemptions for customers of their prioritized travel service partners. Package tour buyers can also enjoy better prices for hotels, food and other services. A charter flight tour to Fukushima (Japan) or Bodgaya (India), offered by Vietravel Hanoi, for example, costs 30 percent less than a conventional flight tour.

Some major Vietnamese travel companies have begun cooperating with carriers and localities to organize charter flights, but smaller tour companies are out of the game. TSTtouris Marketing Director Nguyen Minh Man said his company must carefully consider whether to buy charter flights, as it needs to ensure that it can sell all or most of the seats if it is to avoid losses. Only big, high-class travel companies dare to buy charter flights, Man said.

Indeed, several top travel companies in Vietnam, including Saigontourist, Vietravel, Vietrantour, and TSTtouris, are buying charter flights. Since 2017, Vietravel has bought about 70 charter flights, carrying 11,000 visitors to Thailand, China, the RoK, and Japan. Meanwhile Vietrantour began offering charter flight tours in 2016 and has attracted about 10,000 charter flight tour buyers per year.

The introduction of charter flights also brings a large number of foreign visitors to major domestic tourist cities.

Da Nang International Airport is now connected with 20 destinations in the world, including 14 charter flights to major cities in China. Nha Trang also attracts a high number of foreign visitors thanks to charter flights, most of them from Russia and China.

According to travel experts, 2018 will see a surge in charter flights. The development of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions) tourism is expected to contribute to charter flight development.