Tainan, Oct. 1 (CNA) Budget carrier VietJet Air will resume direct flights between Tainan and Ho Chih Minh City, Vietnam, on Dec. 12, the Tainan City government said Tuesday.

In a press release, the city government said the airline would initially offer three flights per week between the two cities, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

On those days, a flight will leave Ho Chi Minh City at 7:15 a.m. and arrive at Tainan Airport at 11:30 a.m., before departing Tainan at 12:30 p.m. and landing back in Ho Chi Minh City at 2:45 p.m., the statement said.

VietJet Air launched the Ho Chi Minh-Tainan route using a 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft in 2016. Due to high customer demand, it began offering daily flights in March 2018 on a larger 220-seat A321 aircraft.

Following a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, VietJet Airlines briefly relaunched the route in January 2023, but closed it soon after.

Ahead of the December relaunch, city officials will work with VietJet to promote the route and ensure that the airline's return to Tainan goes smoothly, the city government said.