Harper Sercombe
Melbourne Airport has set a new post-pandemic record for monthly aircraft movements, with a total of 19,714 flights arriving or departing last month.
There has been a 103 per cent increase in international travel between May this year compared to May 2022, and a 410 per cent increase in the current financial year compared to the previous.
To keep up with the demand on international flights, Vietnam Airlines are launching direct flights between Melbourne and Hanoi.
The new service will operate twice a week using the airbus A350-900 aircraft and will add to Vietnam Airlines’ existing flights between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City.
Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus said the flights would add extra capacity to one of Victoria’s fastest growing travel markets.
“The launch of today’s service means we now have 60% more capacity flying to and from Vietnam than we did before the onset of COVID-19,” she said.
“Vietnam Airlines was the first airline to connect Victoria with Vietnam, but this is the first time they have connected the two capitals and we are pleased to see them expanding their offering from Melbourne.
“The increase in both international and domestic capacity is important because it will help put downward pressure on airfares at a time when cost of living pressures are causing strain for many household budgets.
“Melbourne Airport continues to plan for infrastructure such as our third runway to ensure we have room to enable this growth and keep Victorians and Victorian produce moving.”
