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Seaplane flight service in Vietnam for the first time

Mon, 25 Aug 2014. Last updated Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:43

Seaplane flight service in Vietnam is exploited commercially for the first time. The seaplane will be used on stage of Hanoi – Ha Long with the price of 10,000 million VND for a return ticket.

After the 15,000 km journey from the U.S, two first seaplanes of Hai Au Airline have arrived at Noi Bai Airport on August 21st 2014 to make preparation for commercial exploitation in September. It is aircraft branded Cessna Grand Caravan Ex, which has the capacity of 12 passengers at maximum, being able to land at both normal airport and on the water.

Hai Au Airline has recently been licensed for establishment. It is the 6th private airline in Vietnam but the first airline exploiting seaplane flight service. In Vietnam, seaplanes are generally used for military purposes such as researching, seeking and rescuing. It is the first time this type of aircraft to be used in commercial purpose.

 

Ceremony welcoming two seaplanes to Vietnam

 

Mr. Dinh Viet Thang, Deputy Director of Aviation emphasized that the potential of seaplane in service and tourism are truly major because Vietnam had a long coastline and plenty of tourism attractions. Around the world, seaplane services have developed for a long time, especially in countries in possession of marine resources. He also stated that this service was not for the public due to the expensive cost, however. It targets luxury tourists. The price of one-way flight from Hanoi City to Ha Long Bay is $ 250, equivalent to VND 5.2 million, far more expensive than road transportation. In return, the travel time is about 30 minutes, more saving compared with 3 to 4 hours as usual. In addition, Hai Au Airline also provides scenic flight with the price of VND 5 million for the 25-minutes flights and VND 7 million for 40-minutes ones.

 

One of the two new seaplanes in Vietnam

 

Mr. Luong Hoai Nam, CEO of Hai Au Airline states that the first flight will be launched in September and has been full of booked passengers already. Nam was the CEO of Jetstar Pacific, a private airline in Vietnam also. Hai Au Airline is licensed as a general airline, operating in providing flight services apart from public passenger and military transport. Nam expects this service will attract more and more tourists in the near future because the demand of luxury customers is increasingly diversifying. The Airline will import another seaplane later this year and is planning to expand in next years. The cost to bring 3 seaplanes to Vietnam is about $ 10 million. After Ha Long, the seaplane service will be expanded into other routes such as Ho Chi Minh City – Mui Ne, Nha Trang – Can Tho, Chau Doc, An Giang, Con Dao, Dalat. 

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