The move was followed the government’s approval for the establishment of the airline in July. 

Bamboo Airways officially launched

At the launch ceremony of Bamboo Airways held in Quy Nhon City in the south-central coastal province of Binh Dinh Province on August 18, Chairman of FLC Group Trinh Van Quyet said that the airline was ready after four years of preparation.

Bamboo Airways, which is set to be headquartered at Phu Cat Airport in Binh Dinh Province, will be Vietnam’s first hybrid carrier, combining traditional and low-cost models. The ticket prices will be higher than Vietjet Air's prices but passengers would be provided with what they described as ‘five-star’ services.

Quyet noted that Bamboo Airways will focus on direct services linking international markets with emerging tourist destinations in Vietnam, instead of major urban areas like Hanoi and HCM City where the aviation infrastructure is already overloaded. The flights will mostly include the localities which are home to FLC’s resorts.

According to Quyet, private investors are expected to provide better growth for the Vietnamese tourism industry which has been targeted to attract 12-20 million international and 82 million domestic tourists by 2020, contributing more than 10% of the national GDP.

FLC Group recently signed two contracts to purchase 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 24 A321 Airbus NEOs for USD8.6 billion.