He made the announcement at the inauguration ceremony of the brand in Hanoi last week. He said the airline was planning its routes while waiting for approval of its licence.

FLC plans to serve 24 domestic and 16 international routes.

In Vietnam, the airline will connect tourism complexes, such as Thanh Hoa-Quy Nhơn, Thanh Hoa-Phu Quoc, Thanh Hoa-Nha Trang and Hai Phong-Quy Nhon.

In the international market, Bamboo Airways will cover Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines. It also plans to open flights to the US and Europe in the long term.

The airline’s logo will be a stylised symbol of bamboo leaves and stems.

“For us, the bamboo tree symbolises the Vietnamese people’s desire to fly high, improving the country’s image in the international arena,” Thang said.

The logo was designed by Japanese LIFT Strategic Design Company, which has designed the logos of many global airline brands, including China Airlines, Philippines Airlines, Oasis Hong Kong and Orbis International.

Thang estimates the number of Bamboo Airways’ aircraft to reach over 200 by 2020 and 400 by 2030.

Last month, FLC Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus to buy up to 24 A321neo aircraft for Bamboo Airways.

FLC said it targeted a modest growth, making up three to five per cent of market share in the country’s aviation sector. It aimed to bring benefits to customers in terms of service quality and ticket fares.

Bamboo Airways will be a hybrid airline - a combination of traditional and budget airlines to meet the demands of every segment.

In May last year, FLC Group announced the decision of its management board to establish the Viet Bamboo Airways Company, with a charter capital of 700 billion VND (31.4 million USD).-VNA