The NSW Government’s $60 million Aviation Attraction Fund has landed its first airline on its runway to recovery, with a new service between Ho Chi Minh and Sydney.
Bamboo Airways today announced it will begin operating a new, twice-weekly service from 30 March 2022 that will see greater connectivity between the two most populous cities of Australia and Vietnam, providing a boost to the NSW visitor economy.
Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said NSW was a key destination for Bamboo Airways, with more than 123,000 Vietnamese visitors arriving in Australia in 2019.
“NSW has the highest percentage of Vietnamese-born population in Australia and with the reopening our international border we can once again look forward to welcoming the family and friends of our sixth largest migrant community,” Mr Ayres said.
“NSW is also a popular destination for international students, working holidaymakers and recreational travellers from Vietnam. This twice-weekly service to Sydney will provide a significant boost for both the consumer and business sectors.
“Our airports are the gateway to our state, so supporting the return of airlines to them through the Aviation Attraction Fund is key to our recovery roadmap and achieving our goal of making NSW the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific.”
CEO of Bamboo Airways Dang Tat Thang said the support of the NSW Government’s Aviation Attraction Fund was key to making this new route viable.
“With the valuable support of the NSW Government and Australia’s busiest airport, we are committed to making the new regular nonstop Sydney – Ho Chi Minh City service a great success and look forward to further developing our partnership,” Mr Dang said.
Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert said this new service would provide greater connectivity between two cities that share close ties.
“Hot on the heels of Australia’s borders re-opening it’s terrific to be announcing a new airline partner in Bamboo Airways. Vietnam is an incredibly popular destination for Australian leisure travellers and with a big Vietnamese diaspora in Sydney it makes sense to build greater connectivity between our two cities,” Mr Culbert said.
Applications for the Aviation Attraction Fund are open until 30 June 2023 and will be managed by Destination NSW on behalf of the NSW Government. For more information or to submit an application visit www.destinationnsw.com.au/aviation-attraction