Capacity between Vietnam and Japan is set to top pre-pandemic levels by almost 10% by the start of the northern summer season, helped by the ongoing expansion of VietJet.

The Vietnamese LCC has filed plans to launch scheduled flights to Hiroshima from March 31, marking its sixth destination in Japan to be served on a regular basis. The airline already offers connections to Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka Kansai, Tokyo Haneda and Tokyo Narita.

According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, frequencies between Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport and Hiroshima Airport will be twice a week onboard Airbus A320 aircraft, becoming the sole nonstop flights between the destinations.

VietJet first announced plans to open a route to Hiroshima, a city on Japan’s Honshu Island, last May during the G7 Summit. It has since offered charter flights to the destination. The move to provide scheduled Hanoi-Hiroshima service increases the airline’s network in Japan to eight routes, five of which will be from Hanoi and three from Ho Chi Minh City.

By early April, VietJet intends to offer around 27,558 two-way weekly seats between Vietnam and Japan, giving it a 34.7% capacity share of the market. Vietnam Airlines is the largest provider of seats with a 41.6% share, with All Nippon Airways commanding 12.9% of the market and Japan Airlines 10.9%.

Overall, capacity between the countries during the first week of April will total about 79,500 two-way seats, marking a rise of more than 9% compared with pre-pandemic levels. VietJet has tripled the number of seats it offers to Japan during that time.

Alongside the new Japanese route, VietJet intends to further expand its network in China, becoming the second new service from Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in as many months. Flights between SGN and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport will be inaugurated on Feb. 10, operating daily.

“The direct connectivity not only strengthens transportation links, but also plays a significant role in promoting trade and tourism between the vibrant cities and the two countries of Vietnam and China,” the LCC says in a statement.

VietJet operates one scheduled service to mainland China at present, flying daily from SGN to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The route launched in December.

In the Ho Chi Minh City-Chengdu market, VietJet will become the sole operator of nonstop service since Vietnam Airlines ended its regular flights between SGN and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) in January 2023. Sichuan Airlines also offered a limited time SGN-CTU service in March 2023.

The opening of VietJet’s new service comes as capacity between Vietnam and China steadily returns. OAG data shows that there are about 90,000 two-way weekly seats between the countries at present, equivalent to around 58% of pre-pandemic levels. Capacity is expected to top 100,000 seats by early February ahead of the Lunar New Year.