Starting October 26, Air China officially launched a direct flight between Hangzhou and Hanoi, operated by an Airbus A320, becoming the only carrier on this route.
This marks Air China’s fifth route in the Vietnamese market, following connections from Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chongqing.
For the airline, the new Hangzhou-Hanoi route is more than just an addition—it represents a strategic breakthrough in Southeast Asia, using one key point to expand regional influence.
With intense competition and capacity saturation in first-tier hubs, Hangzhou, a new first-tier city, still holds growth potential.
The city's population exceeds 12 million and its concentration of affluent consumers in the Yangtze River Delta, rising outbound travel rates, and active business exchanges all add to its strategic appeal.
For Air China, Hangzhou not only helps alleviate the international passenger pressure from Shanghai but also has the potential to emerge as a regional outbound gateway.
Catering to both leisure and business travelers, the Hangzhou-Hanoi route adds another key foothold in the airline’s Southeast Asia network, and serves as a model for international route development in the Yangtze River Delta.
As major hubs grow saturated, Air China’s “Hangzhou first launch" signals both network expansion and a subtle shift in the civil aviation landscape—where new first-tier cities are poised to become the next battleground for international routes.
