Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will add Vietnam’s commercial capital, Ho Chi Minh City, to its network in October 2013. The new flight service is part of the airline’s commitment to expand into the South East Asian region, supporting joint UAE and Vietnam government ventures in areas of energy, infrastructure, tourism and civil construction.

The launch of the new route is part of the airline’s 10-year network growth plan, which will expand Etihad Airways’ direct reach to 100 destinations by 2020. It will be Etihad Airways’ sixth destination within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, joining Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Singapore. In conjunction with its partner airlines, the new Ho Chi Minh City service extends Etihad Airways’ total flight network reach to 21 ASEAN destinations.

The new air services to Ho Chi Minh City are set to meet growing demand from Vietnam’s rapidly expanding economy and will support the country’s increasing commercial ties with the United Arab Emirates, and in particular Abu Dhabi. The new flight services will also support joint UAE and Vietnam government ventures in areas of energy, infrastructure, tourism, and civil construction. UAE investment in Vietnam now stands at more than $3 billion and two-way trade revenue approximately $1.3 billion.

Flights between Abu Dhabi and Ho Chi Minh City will begin on Oct. 1, 2013, and will be served by a two-class A330-200 aircraft. The aircraft will have 22 Pearl Business Class seats and 240 Coral Economy Class seats -- a total 3,668 seats per week. Etihad Airways codeshare with Vietnam Airlines, which currently provides Etihad Airways passengers with daily connections through Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. This year, Etihad Airways has announced the launch of nonstop flights to Sao Paulo, Washington, D.C., Addis Ababa and Ahmedabad.

Etihad Airways began operations in 2003. In 2011, the airline carried 8.3 million passengers. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad Airways serves 85 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, with a fleet of 67 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and 100 aircraft on order, including 10 Airbus A380s, the world’s largest passenger aircraft. Etihad Airways also holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia and Aer Lingus.