Vietnam Airlines and Turkish Airlines have signed an agreement to boost cooperation in the field of air cargo transportation.

The agreement will bring additional long-term benefits to air cargo customers and both airlines.

Vietnam Airlines and Turkish Airlines state they intend to conduct research to enable a potential launch of an air cargo joint venture providing customers with the benefits of a larger, faster network with enhanced direct flights, a wider range of destinations, and increased frequencies.

Combining the resources of the two national airlines will support increased efficiency in the use of their aircraft capacities and further boost their position in global competition.

Dang Ngoc Hoa, chairman of the board of directors at Vietnam Airlines, said: “The cooperation between Vietnam Airlines and Turkish Airlines was established on the basis of mutual benefit.

“Turkish Airlines will benefit from expanding the scale of its transportation network to previously limited areas such as Oceania and Northeast Asia through the advantages offered by Vietnam’s central geographical location as a transit point.

“Furthermore, by using freighters and connecting to Turkish Airlines’ global network of 345 destinations around the world, Vietnam Airlines will be able to significantly expand its scale.

“We hope this cooperation will facilitate Vietnam’s position and advancement towards becoming one of the leading logistics centres in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Turkish Airlines‘ chief executive, Bilal Ekşi, said: “Asia is one of our most important markets. Our efforts to increase our presence on this prominent continent continue unabated with our competent teams and R&D activities.

“In an era where global aviation is shifting from West to East, these efforts are even more meaningful.

“I hope the collaboration we have started with Vietnam Airlines, currently focused on our air cargo brand Turkish Cargo, but planned to be developed in different categories in the future, will be beneficial and fruitful for both countries and both flag carriers.”

The agreement was signed on November 29 at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, under the witness of Vietnam’s prime minister Pham Minh Chinh and vice president of Turkey, Cevdet Yılmaz.

It follows the two airlines signing a codeshare cooperation in June 2023 to provide more flexible and diverse flight options for passengers on routes between Vietnam and Turkey, as well as neighbouring areas.

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