Vietjet has opened scheduled service between Hanoi and Prague through Almaty, adding a new connection between Vietnam and the Czech Republic and a separately bookable link between Prague and Kazakhstan. The first service operated on 10 October, according to Vietnam News Agency’s report from Prague and independent Czech transport publication Zdopravy.cz. (Vietnam News Agency / VietnamPlus, Zdopravy.cz)
Zdopravy’s on-site coverage identified the inaugural arrival as flight VJ31, operated by Airbus A330-300 VN-A817. The report included photographs from Prague Airport and a contemporaneous post showing airport chairman Radomír Lašák welcoming the carrier. The launch therefore marks the start of flying, following earlier plans for the route. (Zdopravy.cz)
Twice weekly, with an Almaty stop
Prague Airport confirms that the service operates on Tuesdays and Saturdays using an A330-300 with 377 seats. Its published timetable has Hanoi departures at 08:25 and Prague arrivals at 18:55. In the opposite direction, flights leave Prague at 20:55 and reach Hanoi at 16:20 the following day. Those are local times, and the itinerary includes the stop in Almaty in both directions. (Prague Airport)
The Czech report describes a stop of approximately 90 minutes at Almaty and says passengers must leave the aircraft during it. It puts the scheduled total journey at 15 hours 30 minutes from Hanoi to Prague and 14 hours 25 minutes in the other direction. Travellers should therefore plan for an intermediate airport stop on the Vietnam–Czech journey. (Zdopravy.cz)
Prague Airport also confirms that tickets are available for the Prague–Almaty sector alone, in either direction. That gives the service two roles: carrying passengers between Vietnam and the Czech Republic through Kazakhstan, and carrying travellers between Prague and Almaty. The separately sold sector is part of the announced operation, rather than merely a transit point for Hanoi passengers. (Prague Airport)
Family visits, tourism and business demand
Vietnam News Agency reported that Vietnamese ambassador Duong Hoai Nam attended the welcome ceremony with airline and airport representatives. He highlighted the potential to support tourism, business travel and visits by the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic. The agency also quoted Letuška.cz sales director Josef Trejbal, who described air links with Vietnam as meeting a long-standing need in the Czech market. (Vietnam News Agency / VietnamPlus)
The airport forecasts that the route could carry more than 67,000 passengers in both directions during its first year. That is a forward-looking estimate, not a reported traffic result. Prague Airport says family travel is an important source of demand, alongside Czech tourism to Vietnam and opportunities for onward travel within the airline’s network. (Prague Airport)
A new European Union connection
Nhan Dan’s coverage places the launch within Vietjet’s expansion into the European Union. It reports that the first flights were welcomed in Almaty and Prague on 10 October with inauguration ceremonies and water-cannon salutes. Chief executive Nguyen Thanh Son said the airline intended to expand its European services further, but that statement does not provide a confirmed timetable for additional destinations. (Nhan Dan)
The immediate offering is the twice-weekly itinerary now operating through Almaty. It links three markets across Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Europe, with Hanoi anchoring the Vietnamese end of the service. For passengers, the practical distinction is the published stop in Kazakhstan: anyone comparing this route with other options should assess the complete journey, including that intermediate stop and the operating days. (Nhan Dan, Prague Airport)
Image: AI-generated editorial illustration.
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