Vietjet now flies between Hanoi and Prague, marking the Vietnamese budget carrier’s first scheduled route inside the European Union. The October 10, 2026 launch pairs a brand-new Airbus A330 with a transit stop in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and runs twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
The move lands just as Vietnamese airlines scramble to push beyond Southeast Asia. A wide-body jet, a multi-country routing, and a seven-figure promotional ticket blitz all signal a carrier betting that low-cost pricing can work on long-haul routes, not just regional hops.
The flight departs Hanoi’s Noi Bai International at 08:25 local time and reaches Prague Airport at 18:55. The return leg leaves Prague at 20:55 and arrives back in Hanoi the following afternoon at 16:20. Passengers transit through Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, which sits roughly midway along the corridor.
That stopover does more than split the journey. It allows Vietjet to serve a distant market with existing aircraft, spreads regulatory and slot work across two aviation authorities, and opens incremental traffic opportunities in Kazakhstan. The airline hasn’t disclosed commercial details tied to the Almaty arrangement.
Vietjet has set eco-class one-way fares from VND 5,940,000 before taxes and fees. Meanwhile, the airline announced 12 million promotional tickets across its entire network starting from USD 1, tied directly to the European expansion.
Industry reports frame the route as a milestone because it gives Vietjet a confirmed EU landing point. Vietnamese carriers have historically focused on domestic and regional Asia-Pacific service, so a scheduled Prague route reshapes the competitive landscape for Vietnam-Europe travel.
Launch ceremonies took place at both Almaty International Airport and Václav Havel Airport Prague on the same day service began, reinforcing how central the Kazakh stop is to the route’s identity.
For travelers, the route offers a lower-cost option between northern Vietnam and Central Europe without relying on mega-hub transfers through Doha, Istanbul, or Singapore. For Vietjet, it’s a live test of whether the budget model extends to long-haul, multi-stop flying. Strong bookings could push the airline toward additional European destinations using the same Almaty template.
