The airline plans to operate five flights a week on an Airbus A321 with 168 economy-class seats and 16 business-class berths.

The new route will be serviced by flight No VN944, taking off from Hanoi at 00:10 daily, excluding Tuesdays .and Fridays. Flight No VN945 will depart from Kansai on the same days at 11 am and arrive at 14:45 at Noi Bai International Airport.

The carrier decided to bring the route into operation to meet the demand of customers as Japan Airlines stopped its Kansai-Hanoi route.

According to Vietnam Airlines (VNA), it is an important step to expand its market in Japan.

Director of the airline's representative office in Japan, Nguyen Quoc Tuan, said Vietnam Airlines was determined to open the route with a desire to enhance commercial, investment and tourism activities between the two countries and Hanoi-Kansai in particular, despite the difficulties of global aviation.

The route should encourage tourists to visit Hanoi and other famous destinations including Ha Long Bay, central Danang Province and Nha Trang in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa; especially the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

He said with an extensive flight network. Hanoi hoped to become a hub for visitors heading to Cambodia and Laos.

With this launch, the total number of flights per week operated by the airline to Japan will increase to 31.

The flights will operate out of Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports to the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, as well as Kansai.

Statistics released from the carrier showed that it accounted for half of the total direct flights between Vietnam and Japan in the first nine months of last year.