1. Flight no. QR996 of Qatar Airways:

At 6:30 am on January 1st, 2020, the first flight no. QR996 bringing 170 passengers from Doha – the capital of Qatar – the richest country in the world landed at Danang International Airport. The "first-footing" flight was warmly welcomed with best wishes and featured New Year activities such as lion dance. With the participation of representatives from the Danang Tourism Department, Danang Center for Tourism Promotion, Danang International Airport and Danang International Terminal Investment and Operation Joint Stock Company (AHT), the welcoming ceremony gave visitors unforgettable moments. Presenting on the inaugural flight, Ms. Francesca could not hide the joy and excitement and shared her desire to explore and experience more in the beautiful country of Vietnam, especially the diverse culture of Danang city.

Figure 1: Welcoming the first passengers in 2020 on the Doha-Danang flight.

The Doha - Danang route, which officially operated in December 2018 with a daily flight frequency (7 flights/week), is an important route in the network connecting Da Nang and Middle Eastern countries. Besides the current main group of Asian tourists, the Danang Tourism Department has coordinated with relevant agencies and units to implement the comprehensive sustainable tourism plan to boost the number of tourists from Europe and America.

2. Flight no. VN337 of Vietnam Airlines:

At 12:37 am on the same day, the first international flight of the National Airline – Vietnam Airlines was welcomed in the bustling atmosphere marking the beginning of a new decade. The special passengers on flight no. VN337 from Kansai Airport in Osaka, Japan were very surprised to receive fresh flowers and a warm welcome upon arrival at Danang International Airport. At the ceremony, Vietnam Airlines awarded the first lucky guest at seat 10A - Ms. Nagao Rin 01 business class round-trip flight ticket in Da Nang-Kansai route. On the flight, the airline also gifted all its passengers thoughtful gratitude gifts to thanks for accompanying in recent years.

Figure 2: Ms. Nagao Rin with representatives of Vietnam Airlines, Danang Center for Tourism Promotion and Danang International Airport.

Vietnam Airlines is currently exploiting more than 100 routes connecting to 22 domestic and 34 international destinations, including 09 domestic routes and 16 international routes departing from Danang. In 2019, Vietnam Airlines served about 23 million passengers with an average growth rate of 15% per year. The airline is aiming for the potential Japanese tourist market, apart from Kansai and Narita, Nagoya is also considered to open regular flights connecting to Da Nang in the end of 2020.