Vietjet offers tickets for flights to Con Dao using COMAC aircraft

For the Hanoi – Con Dao route, direct flight tickets are priced between VND4.3 million (US$166.3) and VND5 million ($193.4) per one-way ticket, with two flights operated daily.

Similarly, the Ho Chi Minh City – Con Dao route will also have two flights per day, with fares ranging from VND1 million ($38.7) to VND2.4 million ($92.9) per one-way ticket.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines, is offering tickets for the Ho Chi Minh City – Con Dao route through the Vietnam Airlines website at VND1.7 million ($65.7) to VND2.5 million ($96.6) per ticket.

Previously, VASCO operated exclusively the route, using ATR72 aircraft.

Bamboo Airways, another local airline, had also operated this route for a brief period but withdrew in early 2024 after returning its aircraft fleet.

Since Bamboo’s exit, passengers from northern Vietnam traveling to Con Dao have had to transit in Ho Chi Minh City or the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, followed by a connecting flight on an ATR72.

Vietjet’s entry into the route will provide passengers with more options, helping to reduce both travel time and cost.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed a C909 aircraft landing at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 5:02 pm on April 12. The aircraft, operated by Chengdu Airlines, departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

Vietjet CEO Dinh Viet Phuong posted photos of the COMAC C909, featuring Vietjet’s colors and logo, at Noi Bai International Airport on his personal social media account, calling it a 'new milestone' for the airline.

The C909 is the first commercial aircraft model developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC). It was put into commercial operation in June 2016, with its inaugural flight operated by Chengdu Airlines.

According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, Vietjet has submitted a plan to operate flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao using COMAC aircraft. The airline has requested ground services and airport operations to be prepared for the operation of the aircraft.

In December 2024, Vietjet reported to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and the Ministry of Transport that it had signed a wet lease agreement for two COMAC ARJ21 aircraft with Chengdu Airlines to serve routes to Con Dao.

The COMAC ARJ21 is equipped with GE CF34-10A engines from the U.S. and flying equipment from Germany’s Liebherr, with a range of 2,225 to 3,700 km and a capacity of 78 to 97 passengers.

More than 160 COMAC C909 aircraft have been delivered to 11 Chinese carriers and two international carriers: TransNusa of Indonesia and Lao Airlines of Laos.

Last month, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam proposed that the Ministry of Construction revise several regulations to recognize China’s airworthiness certification as a valid basis for importing and operating the COMAC C909 in Vietnam.