Ehime looks to launch direct flights to Vietnam

Ehime Prefecture has earmarked ¥34 million in a dra supplementary budget in a bid to establish a direct air route linking the prefecture and Vietnam.

Ehime Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura has helped to push the project forward, but there are still some issues to be overcome before ights can start taking o .

From July 31 to Aug. 2, Nakamura visited southern Vietnam with business leaders from Ehime Prefecture and met with Nguyen anh Hung, vice chairman of Vietjet Air, Vietnam’s largest low-cost carrier.

e governor exchanged a memorandum with Hung stating that the prefectural government and the airline will make e orts to realize regular ights and stable operations on the route.

e prefectural government plans to operate charter ights in winter and spring to evaluate demand and nd out the challenges for running regular services. e project budget includes subsidies for package tours on charter ights, inspection tours for travel agencies, and public relations activities on social media.

Vietnam, which has a population of about 100 million and an average age of 31, is experiencing remarkable economic development. According to the Japan External Trade Organization, the country’s economic growth rate in 2021 was 2.6%. Growth was 7% in 2019, before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Vietjet Air has seven regular Japan routes, connecting Hanoi

with Narita, Kansai, Chubu and Fukuoka airports, Ho Chi Minh City with Narita and Kansai airports, and Da Nang with Haneda airport.

Ehime hopes to establish a new route connecting Ho Chi Minh City. e region has no direct air links to Vietnam.

As of the end of June, the prefecture had about 3,427 Vietnamese residents, mainly trainee workers. Of the 11,900 foreign residents in the prefecture as of the end of June, 30% were Vietnamese.

“[Vietnam] is a promising market,” Nakamura said. “e seeds have been planted for the launch of the route.”

Immigration control and quarantine systems must be in place before international ights can be resumed at Matsuyama Airport. e central government has not given the all-clear for international

ights to restart in the prefecture because of a shortage of quarantine o cials, among other reasons.

International ights started taking o again at Hiroshima, Takamatsu and other airports in July, bringing the number of Japanese airports operating international ights to 10.

An Ehime government ofcial said, “We are making preparations in anticipation of the reopening of the airport.”

At a press conference on Sept. 2, Nakamura said he has been lobbying Diet members for the swi resumption of international ights.

“Proactive promotion projects by the prefecture with a view to the resumption of services is also a good way to reach out to the central government,” Nakamura said. (Sept. 14)