Air India has announced the launch of new non-stop flight services connecting India with Vietnam and Japan, as the airline continues to expand its presence across Asia.

The airline said it will begin direct flights between Delhi and Hanoi and between Mumbai and Tokyo (Haneda) in the coming months, offering travellers more convenient options to two popular international destinations.

Air India will start five weekly non-stop flights between Delhi and Hanoi beginning May 1. These services will complement the airline’s existing daily flights between Delhi and Ho Chi Minh City, giving travellers more flexibility while visiting Vietnam.

Passengers travelling to the country will now have the option to fly into Hanoi and return from Ho Chi Minh City, or vice versa. This type of travel plan, known as an “open-jaw” itinerary, is popular among tourists who want to explore multiple cities during a single trip.

The flights will be operated using the modern Airbus A320neo aircraft, configured with three cabin classes, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class.

According to the airline, the new route will add more than 7,000 seats every month between India and Vietnam.

Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing travel destinations in Southeast Asia. The country welcomed over 20 million visitors in 2025, making it the third-most-visited destination in the region. It is gaining popularity among Indian leisure travellers as well as corporate groups, especially for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).

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Air India also plans to start four weekly non-stop flights between Mumbai and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport from June. These flights will be operated with the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a wide-body aircraft designed for long-haul international travel.

The new service will complement Air India’s existing flights between New Delhi and Tokyo Haneda Airport, strengthening the airline’s connectivity between India and Japan.

According to Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal, both Japan and Vietnam are seeing strong growth in travel demand from India. He said the airline is expanding its network to support this demand while also strengthening business and economic ties between the countries.

Japan in particular has seen a sharp increase in Indian visitors. Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization shows that more than 315,000 Indians travelled to Japan in 2025, a 35 percent increase compared to 2024 and nearly 80 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Since its privatisation under the Tata Group, Air India has been steadily expanding its international network, especially across Southeast Asia and the Far East.

The airline has also improved flight schedules to make connections easier for passengers travelling between continents.

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Air India currently has a codeshare partnership with All Nippon Airways, a member of the Star Alliance network. Through this partnership, passengers flying to Tokyo can easily connect to other Japanese cities such as Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Okinawa, Osaka and Sapporo.

Earlier this year, on February 14, Air India also increased the frequency of its Delhi–Tokyo (Haneda) flights from four to seven per week, while upgrading the aircraft used on the route to the larger Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

With the launch of the new Hanoi and Mumbai–Tokyo routes, the airline aims to further strengthen India’s air connectivity with key Asian destinations while supporting the growing demand for tourism and business travel.