The chartered flight carried 336 Russian nationals to Nha Trang city for their holiday.

This air route is operated by Azur Air airlines and hired by the Anex Vietnam Trade and Tourism Co. Ltd. It is scheduled to last until the end of 2015 with one flight every five days using Boeing 767 aircrafts.

Thanks to the opening of new air routes to Russia, Khanh Hoa took the lead in attracting tourists from the Eastern European country with nearly 270,000 visitors last year, accounting for 25% of total foreign arrivals to the province.

Although the number of Russian tourists last year surged by over 160% in comparison with 2013, bookings from the market declined due to economic hardship and soaring inflation, forcing Khanh Hoa to cancel some routes and reduce flight frequency in late 2014.

The newly launched air route is said to be part of the province’s efforts to maintain growth in the number of Russian visitors. It is expected to help Khanh Hoa welcome more than 2,000 extra tourist arrivals every month.