The first destination of Boeing 787-10 of Vietnam Airlines is Seoul

Vietnam Airlines has officially scheduled Boeing 787-10 service. After taking delivery of the new aircraft, Vietnam Airlines told Simple Flying the first routes would be to Seoul and Ho Chi Minh City. Now, starting on October 1st, 2019, Vietnam Airlines will place the 787-10 in service between Ho Chi Minh City and Seoul. Simple Flying reports.

The aircraft and the route

Previously, I speculated as to the nature of the routes this aircraft would operate. The lack of premium economy offered a clue since, on long-haul flights, premium economy can be a lucrative and profitable cabin.

With a capacity of 367 passengers, Vietnam Airlines is expanding its services to Seoul. East Asia is a very important aviation market itself, plus passengers can connect onward with fellow Skyteam partner Korean Air out of Seoul.

Routes Online reports that the 787-10 will be replacing the Airbus A350-900 Vietnam Airlines flies on that route. The schedule will see the 787 departing Ho Chi Minh City on a daily basis at 23:40 to arrive in Seoul the next morning at 06:40.
For the return, the 787-10 will leave Seoul at 10:15 for a 13:30 arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC. This will complement one of Vietnam Airlines’ other services to Seoul on Airbus A321 aircraft.

In addition, the 787-10 is also operating services between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. This is a very important domestic route for the airline, so it is no surprise that a brand new plane would fly that route.

Will Vietnam Airlines fly to Los Angeles?

Boeing 787-10 aircraft will free up additional aircraft such as the 787-9 and Airbus A350-900. The real question now is if Vietnam Airlines will use those spare aircraft on new flights to Los Angeles.

This is one of the airline’s aspirations, however, no further information has been revealed on these plans. If it does come through, say on a 787-9, you can expect a pleasant flight with them.

If Vietnam Airlines does launch this route, it will be interesting to see how competitor Bamboo Airways responds. They also anticipated launching flights to the United States with, no joke, Airbus A380s.

Overall

A new aircraft is an exciting development for any airline. In this case, Vietnam Airlines has plenty of potential to expand services to new destinations now that other aircraft are free. However, it is unclear if Vietnam Airlines plans on announcing new destinations soon.

Schedule information was reported by Routes Online.

By Jay Singh.