Vietnamese LCC VietJet has launched flights between Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) and Brisbane Airport (BNE), expanding service to Australia following its recent entrance into that country’s commercial aviation market.

VietJet started SGN-BNE service on June 16 using an Airbus A330 aircraft. The route will be operated 2X-weekly with a flight duration of around 8 hr. 

In April, the carrier launched A330 flights from SGN to both Sydney Airport (SYD) and Melbourne Airport (MEL), marking its debut in Australia. Those routes are both currently being operated 3X-weekly, giving the airline eight total weekly flights between Vietnam and Australia. 

VietJet plans to boost both the SYD and MEL routes to 4X-weekly service in September.

Brisbane is the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. Stirling Hinchliffe, the state’s tourism, innovation and sport minister, says in a statement that the “arrival of VietJet’s history-making maiden flight [to BNE] demonstrates the importance and growing closeness of Queensland’s post-pandemic trade partnership with Vietnam.”

Hinchliffe notes VietJet is “the first-ever Vietnamese airline to establish a direct air connection with Queensland.”

VietJet says Brisbane has “many attractive international study and investment opportunities” for SGN-originating passengers.