The airline plans to operate five flights a week, using Airbus A321 planes on the new route.

The carrier decided to bring the route into operation to meet the demand of customers as Japan Airlines stopped its Osaka-Hanoi route on January 12.

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

The Director of the airline’s representative office in Japan, Nguyen Quoc Tuan, said Vietnam Airlines’s new route will help boost commercial, investment and tourism activities between the two countries.

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

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

Statistics released by the carrier showed it flew half of the total direct flights between Vietnam and Japan in the first nine months of last year.