VietNamNet Bridge – Low-cost carrier VietJet Air on October 28 signed a strategic cooperation deal with Indian regional airline Air Costa aiming to boost air travel between the two countries.

The deal was inked during the two-day visit (October 27-28) to India of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by leaders of the two countries.

The same day, Vietjet signed the tripartite cooperation agreement with Angel – Fairy Travel & Southeast Asia University to enable Vietjet Thailand and Vietjet Vietnam to operate flights connecting Vietnam – Thailand – India, which are expected to be in operation this December.

These significant agreements are believed to pave the way for Vietjet to expand its operation across India in the near future.

VietJet currently operates more than 110 flights per day. In Vietnam, it has connected to key economic regions such as HCM City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and others. International flights include Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul and Busan in South Korea.

Air Costa is an Indian regional airline based in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The first flight was on October 2013, from Chennai one of their main operating and maintenance hubs. It is part of the LEPL Group, a Vijayawada based company, and has started with 300 employees including expatriate pilots and engineers and commenced scheduled operations in October 2013 using two Embraer E-170 aircraft.

The airline plans to focus on improving connectivity between tier II and tier III cities in India and has announced an investment of 150 million dollars by 2015. The airline also plans to set up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at Vijayawada Airport by 2015. The airline currently has a maintenance centre at the Chennai International Airport.

PV