In a major boost to tourism and jobs, Avalon will be the gateway to Vietnam, with VietJet Air set to being operating direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced the initiative at the VietJet office in Ho Chi Minh City.
VietJet will become the second airline to operate international flights out of Melbourne’s Avalon Airport, after Air Asia, and will run services between Avalon and Ho Chi Minh City.
Other Asian destinations are also being considered and the services are expected to begin in the second half of 2020, subject to regulatory approval.
As part of the agreement, RMIT will purchase a new flight simulator for its Vietnam campus to allow more pilot training in Vietnam, including for VietJet pilots.
The flight simulator will be the first of its kind in Vietnam and comes as RMIT prepares to celebrate 20 years in Vietnam in 2020.
The new services will help build on the 50,000 tourists who visited Victoria from Vietnam in the past year and will contribute to the Victorian Government’s goal of increasing visitor spending in Victoria to $36.5 billion by 2025.
More international flights to Avalon, means more jobs for Victoria, with our tourism economy supporting more than 214,000 jobs in Victoria, including 85,000 in regional areas.
Victoria’s Southeast Asia Trade and Investment Strategy has identified Vietnam as a priority market and emphasises opportunities to grow Victoria’s higher education and vocational education services.
With more than 13,000 Vietnamese students enrolled in Victorian educational institutions the new flight services are also expected to encourage even more students to choose to study in Victoria.
Premier Daniel Andrews also announced that the Government will setup its 23rd Trade and Investment office in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to deepen Victoria’s relationship and drive new trade, investment and exchange opportunities for Victorian and Vietnamese businesses.
Ho Chi Minh City is a key commercial hub for Vietnam and for Asia – making it the perfect place for Victoria to do business.