VietJet to launch second European route via Almaty
Beyond Prague, the Vietnamese LCC plans to serve Berlin via Kazakhstan
Low-cost carrier VietJet has announced plans to launch its second route from Vietnam to Europe operating via Almaty. The carrier’s inaugural fifth-freedom route, connecting Hanoi to Prague via Almaty, is scheduled to launch on October 10.
The airline now plans to initiate flights from Hanoi to Berlin via Almaty in March 2027, according to Nelson Wu, Managing Director of VietJet Air Cargo. Ticket sales for the new route are slated to open in December, at which time the exact flight schedule will also be released. Beyond passenger transport, Wu noted that the Prague and Berlin services will be utilized for cargo transportation from Vietnam to Central Europe.
VietJet Air’s plans to expand into Europe via Kazakhstan were first revealed earlier this year. The airline will deploy widebody Airbus A330 aircraft on these routes, having secured fifth-freedom rights from Kazakh authorities to board and disembark passengers in Almaty.
Routing flights through Almaty with fifth-freedom commercial rights became viable after SOVICO Group, the parent company of the Vietnamese carrier, acquired a controlling stake in Kazakh airline Qazaq Air in 2025. The airline, rebranded as Vietjet Qazaqstan, is expected to transition from regional operations to international routes by inducting modern Boeing 737 MAX narrowbody aircraft. While deliveries were initially anticipated to begin this year, industry publication CentralAsia+Aero reports that the first 737 MAX deliveries to Vietjet Qazaqstan have been postponed to 2027.
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