ベトジェットエアが2026年10月（冬ダイヤは11月7日から）、ハノイ〜プラハ間の定期便を就航させる。カザフスタンのアルマトイを経由するルートで、週2便・エアバスA330で運航する計画だ。カザフスタン民間航空委員会が運航を承認済みで、技術的な準備が最終段階に入っている。
Overview of the Vietjet Hanoi-Prague route
This new route connects Vietnam's capital Hanoi with the Czech capital Prague via Almaty in Kazakhstan. Rather than Almaty as a mere transit point, Vietjet acquiredfifth-freedom rightsunder Kazakhstan's "open skies" regime. This lets it sell tickets solely for the Almaty-Prague segment on its own. In other words, it's a system that can capture not only passengers to and from Vietnam but also passengers heading from Kazakhstan to Prague.
In recent years, there have been almost no scheduled flights directly connecting northern Vietnam and Prague, and from Hanoi to Prague, routing via the Middle East or connecting within Europe was standard. This route greatly reduces the hassle of connections and is expected to shorten travel time.
Background: growing demand for the Vietnam-Central Europe route
The Czech Republic has a Vietnamese diaspora (immigrant community) of about 100,000, holding one of the largest Vietnamese populations in Europe. Homecoming demand is strong year-round, and ticket prices spike around the Lunar New Year (Tet). The Czech Republic is also popular with Japanese tourists seeking beer, architecture, and hot springs, and Prague is often chosen as a starting point for "touring Eastern Europe."
Since 2025, Vietjet has been rapidly expanding its international network, announcing route launches to India, Central Asia, and Europe one after another. This Prague route can be called a symbolic move in that Central Europe strategy.
Route data
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 2026年10月（予定、冬ダイヤは11月7日から） |
| Flight frequency | 2 flights per week |
| Aircraft used | Airbus A330 (wide-body) |
| Route | Hanoi (Noi Bai Airport) to Almaty to Prague |
| Fifth freedom | Independent sales of the Almaty-Prague segment possible |
| Reference fare (one way) | Not yet announced (based on existing European routes, one way in the 30,000-to-60,000-yen range is expected) |
| Reference fare (yen conversion note) | Converted at about 155 yen to the dollar (as of April 2026) |
Local reactions: the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic and industry figures
Welcoming voices are rising from the Vietnamese community in Prague. On a Vietnamese group in the Czech Republic on Facebook, posts came one after another, such as "it helps to have more options when going home before Tet" and "if it's shorter than via the Middle East, I'll definitely use it."
Travel industry figures point out, "If Vietjet's LCC model is applied to European routes, the going rate between Hanoi and Prague could drop 20 to 30%."
On the Kazakhstan side too, hopes are gathering for Almaty Airport becoming a hub, and the ripple effects on the entire Central Asian aviation market are drawing attention.
Impact on Japanese travelers: Vietnam-plus-Prague tours become realistic
For Japanese travelers, this route creates a new option of "touring Central Europe as an extension of a Vietnam trip." For example, after enjoyinga Hanoi cafe crawl,it becomes easier to build a plan of flying straight to Prague.
Conventionally, from Japan to Prague took 18 to 22 hours via the Middle East (Dubai, Doha, etc.). Via Hanoi, Tokyo to Hanoi (about 5.5 hours) plus Hanoi to Prague (via Almaty, an estimated 10 to 12 hours) makes the total time about the same, but the appeal is being able to stay a few days in Hanoi and work ina food crawl of the Old Quarter.The appeal is that.
If you can get to Europe at Vietjet's LCC prices, you can enjoy two countries while keeping overall travel costs down.the Vietnam price guideReferring to this too, you'd do well to flexibly adjust the number of days you stay.
Ripple effects on the industry: an LCC's challenge of a long-haul European route
There are still few cases of an Asian LCC operating scheduled direct flights to Europe (even with a transit point). If Vietjet's Prague route can maintain a stable load factor, the move by other LCCs to enter European routes is expected to accelerate.
Vietnam Airlines already operates direct flights to London, Frankfurt, and Paris, but has no scheduled flight to Prague. Vietjet has taken the Prague market first.
Furthermore, the "dual revenue model" utilizing Kazakhstan's fifth freedom is worth noting as a device to improve the route's profitability. That's because it can capture not only Hanoi-Prague demand but also demand for the Almaty-Prague segment.
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Airline | Vietjet Air (Vietjet Air / VJ) |
| Departure airport | Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), Hanoi |
| Transit point | Almaty International Airport (ALA), Kazakhstan |
| Arrival airport | Vaclav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) |
| Start of operations | 2026年10月（予定、冬ダイヤは11月7日から） |
| Flight frequency | 2 flights per week |
| Aircraft | Airbus A330 |
| Reservations | Vietjet official website(fares expected to be announced before the launch date) |
| Japan to Hanoi | About 5.5 hours from Narita, Haneda, and Kansai by Vietjet, Vietnam Airlines, and others |
Summary
Vietjet's Hanoi-Almaty-Prague route is a bold move by an LCC stepping into Central Europe. The segment-sales model utilizing the fifth freedom will contribute to stabilizing revenue and will surely capture the homecoming demand of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic. For Japanese travelers too, a new form of travel combiningsightseeing in Vietnam's major citieswith a Central Europe tour has come into view. It's a route worth adding to your summer travel plans while awaiting the fare announcement.
