Moscow (VNA) – The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines should workto ensure safe and competitive services while operating flights to Russia astraveling between Vietnam and Russia is now more important than ever before whenthey are working to promote their comprehensive strategic partnership,particularly in trade and investment, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Attending a ceremony held on May 23 by Vietnam Airlines to mark the 15th anniversary of its direct flight between the two nations, PM Phuc said thatwith a modern fleet, high-quality services as well as well-trained pilots,Vietnam Airlines has been a prestigious airline in Vietnam and the whole world.

Speaking highly of the carrier’s role as an ambassador to enhance thefriendship and nudge Vietnamese people and land closer to the Eastern Europeancountry, PM Phuc asked Vietnam Airlines to continue shaping up its sustainabledevelopment plan and oragnising cultural activities during the Vietnam Year inRussia and the Russia Year in Vietnam towards the 70th celebrationof the diplomatic relations.

He wished that competent authorities of Russia will create favourableconditions for Vietnam Airlines so that it can provide quality services for thepassengers, especially departure time, apron and aviation procedures.

Vietnam Airlines open its first flight to Russia on July, 1993 with transitpoint in the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai.

Eleven years later, the carrier operated direct service to Russia with Boeing777- the most modern plane at that time, helping increasing the number ofpassengers transported by 10 times.

Vietnam Airlines has used wide-body 787-9 Dreamliners on the route to improveservice quality and flight experience of its customers since 2018.

The carriers’ flights have become an important bridge to promote connections aswell as open comprehensive cooperation opportunities in economy, science,education, culture-tourism between Vietnam and Russia.

According to Chairman of Vietnam Airlines Board of Management Pham Ngoc Minh, thecarrier’s extensive global network and collaboration with many reputed airlinesin the world allow its passengers to travel to Asia and Europe via Russiaeasily.

Particularly, Vietnam Airlines will move its operations in Moscow fromDomodedovo Airport to Sheremetyevo Airport from July 2, 2019. The effort aimsto increase connectivity among flights to destinations in Russia and Europethrough the codeshare of Vietnam Airlines and Russia’s flagship carrierAeroflot.
When switchingto Sheremetyevo, Vietnam Airlines will change the timetable of flights betweenHanoi and Moscow to make them more convenient forpassengers. Specifically, the flights will take off at 1:10 in Hanoi and14:40 in Moscow.

Russia has been among top 10 of tourist sources of Vietnam. In 2018, more than600,000 Russians travelled to Vietnam, making their country the sixth largestsource market of visitors to the Southeast Asian country. The Vietnam National Administrationof Tourism forecast that the number will reach 1 million in 2020.

Earlier, PM Phuc received Kaspersky Lab CEO Kaspersky Evgeny Valentinovick,during which PM Phuc stressed that Vietnam wants cooperation in cyber securityand hopes Kaspersky will help the Vietnamese Government in the field,especially the prevention of virus and malicious code in state-owned agencies’computer systems.

The Vietnamese Government always facilitate conditions for Russian enterprisesand Kaspersky in particular to operate their business in Vietnam, he stressed.

The Kaspersky Lab CEO, for his part, said thatthe firm will help Vietnam with solutions to ensuring cyber security, and willpen specific roadmap and duplicate the model in the country.-VNA