Accordingly, from now to October 23 the airline will conduct two non-stop flights per week from Auckland to HCM City on Tuesdays and Saturdays, using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. It will also collaborate with Singapore Airlines to operate flights transiting via Singapore.

According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Southeast Asian country welcomed 18,181 New Zealand visitors during the first five months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 105.4%. Meanwhile, the number of Vietnamese tourists visiting New Zealand has constantly increased throughout the year, with 29,340 arrivals during the first four months of this year.

 The continued operation of the direct air route demonstrates the increasing demand for travel between the two countries.

Jenni Martin, head of Air New Zealand South and South East Asia, says Vietnam is a potential market and is forecast to grow strongly in the near future. The direct air route is also a motivation to stimulate tourism and education development and trade between the two countries.