The Andrews Labor Government is backing tourism and trade by supporting the first new international airline to commence flights to and from Melbourne since the pandemic.
Minister for Industry Support and Recovery and Minister for Trade Martin Pakula welcomed the arrival of Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways to Melbourne Airport.
Bamboo Airways will commence services in April 2022, and its Australian headquarters will be based in Melbourne.
The airline plans to commence twice-weekly services between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City from 1 April 2022, which will soon increase to four times a week. It will also seek to commence non-stop air services between Melbourne and the Vietnamese capital Hanoi in 2022.
The new flights will help strengthen Victoria’s trade links with Vietnam. Prior to the pandemic, an estimated 53,500 visitors to Victoria were from Vietnam, which was nearly half of all travellers from Vietnam to Australia in 2019. Visitor numbers from Vietnam to Victoria grew by an average of 27 per cent each year between 2014 and 2019.
Melbourne is also a popular study destination for students from Vietnam. Around 8,000 Vietnamese students are currently enrolled at Victorian institutions – one of the largest international student populations in Victoria.
Vietnam is one of Victoria’s top ten export markets with goods exports valued at $695 million in 2020-21, which is a 31 per cent increase in value compared to the previous year.
Further signalling our dedication to Vietnam as an important economic partner, the Victorian Government has a new trade and investment office in Ho Chi Minh City.
The new services by Bamboo Airways follows another major announcement earlier in the month by Qantas, which announced a new passenger route from Melbourne to Delhi starting on 22 December.
Victoria’s international aviation sector directly employs 6,700 people and supports thousands of other jobs throughout the supply chain.
As stated by Minister for Industry Support and Recovery and Minister for Trade Martin Pakula
“Attracting new international airlines to Melbourne is an important way we are investing in our economic recovery and supporting jobs.”
“The new services by Bamboo Airways are great news for business leaders, international students and Victoria’s Vietnamese community.”
As stated by Minister for Economic Development Tim Pallas
“This is another sign that Victoria is open for business as our recovery gathers pace. It means more opportunities for business and tourism and Victorians will embrace these wholeheartedly.”
As stated by Bamboo Airways CEO Dang Tat Thang
“We are thrilled to call Melbourne our Australian home and look forward to working closely with the Victorian Government on creating more direct links between Vietnam and Australia via Melbourne.”
