Vietjet's Vice President for Commercial Jay L. Lingeswara on stage at Routes Asia 2025.
PERTH, Australia—VietJet is planning an ambitious expansion into Europe and expects to launch its first routes to the region before the end of the year, with the U.S. also on the horizon.
Vice President for Commercial Jay L. Lingeswara said that Europe is among the Vietnamese LCC’s primary international growth targets, following recent successes with its long-haul flights to Australia. As previously reported by Aviation Week, the airline is also preparing to enter the New Zealand market this year, initially likely operating one-stop via Australia.
“Europe is my ultimate focus for 2025,” Lingeswara told Routes from the sidelines of Routes Asia 2025 here in Perth. “We’re looking to add more new destinations from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and Europe is [a high priority]. We also have New Zealand coming up very soon—so they are two very exciting projects.”
VietJet will initially launch European flights using its existing fleet of seven Airbus A330-300 aircraft, which currently serve major Australian cities and key routes to India. The airline also in July 2024 firmed an order for 20 A330-900s to further its long-haul footprint.
Lingeswara said the LCC is evaluating multiple European cities—including destinations in the Czech Republic, France, Germany and the UK—and is exploring serving the region with one-stop options. Potential transit points could include Kazakhstan, where VietJet has previously served Almaty and Astana, and which offers an open skies policy permitting foreign airlines to operate fifth-freedom flights.
Additionally, Lingeswara said flights to the U.S. are also under consideration. In January, VietJet founder and Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao visited the U.S., meeting with President Donald Trump during a summit aimed at strengthening Vietnam-U.S. ties.
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