On February 4, 2020, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) issued an official flight permit for Bamboo Airways to operate the direct flight connecting Hanoi with Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. 

According to the CAAV ‘s International Flight Permit, No. 417/CHK-VTHK signed on February 4, 2020, Bamboo Airways has been officially granted the traffic right to operate the direct route connecting Hanoi with Prague, the Czech Republic.

Mr. Truong Phuong Thanh, Deputy General Director of Bamboo Airways, said the airline planned to operate the first flight on the route Hanoi – Prague on March 29, 2020, with the frequency of 2 flights per week. The number of flight will be increased depending on the demands of passengers. Bamboo Airways has officially been launching flight tickets in Vietnam from February 5, and from February 10 in overseas markets.

The expected flight durations are 11 hours and 20 minutes for the route Hanoi-Prague and 10 hours and 20 minutes the route of Prague – Hanoi, which is significantly shortened in comparison to 14-19 hours for connecting flights transited at a European or Middle East city.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will be used to operate Hanoi – Prague – Hanoi routes

Bamboo Airways will use the wide-body aircraft Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to exploit this first route to Europe. The aircraft can carry a maximum of 294 passengers on a distance of up to 17,400km. Dubbed as a “5-star hotel in the air”, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is expected to fully meet the requirements of Bamboo Airways on international flights.

In preparation for the operation, in early January 2020, Bamboo Airways has announced its official cooperation with AVIAREPS group as its general agent in the Czech Republic. AVIAREPS Group is a leading aviation service solution provider in Europe. The firm has over 25 years of experience and 67 representative offices in 48 countries and is representing more than 250 significant partners worldwide.

Previously, in April 2019, within the framework of the official visit to the Czech Republic by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the senior delegation of Vietnam, Bamboo Airways and Prague International Airport organized the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) witnessed by the Prime Ministers of Vietnam and the Czech Republic.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ho Minh Tuan shared that the direct flight Hanoi – Prague operated by Bamboo Airways plays a vital role in connecting or national and two continents. 

According to the Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ho Minh Tuan, Bamboo Airways’ direct flight is considered to not only connect the Czech Republic with Vietnam but also to connect ASEAN with the EU. “The Hanoi – Prague route operated by Bamboo Airways is the only direct route from the Czech Republic to the ASEAN region, a very dynamic area with more than 600 million people. Therefore, this route aims to connect Vietnam – Czech Republic and connect Southeast Asia with the European Union, “Ambassador Ho Minh Tuan said.

Passengers will experience the 5-star oriented service offered by Bamboo Airways

The direct route offered by Bamboo Airways is good news for citizens of the two countries, especially the Vietnamese living in the Czech Republic. This event also marks a milestone in the context that the two countries are conducting activities to prepare for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Czech Diplomatic Relations (February 1950 – February 2020).

With an outstanding business strategy and 5-star quality-oriented service, Bamboo Airways is looking forward to contributing to the tourism promotion and trade cooperation in Europe. The company aims to cover all the European renowed political and tourism destinations by the period of 2021 – 2025.