Vietjet will begin flying a Ho Chi Minh City–Maldives service routed through Colombo on 5 December, operating three round-trips a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the Daily FT reported.
The Vietnamese low-cost carrier says the service will give travellers in Sri Lanka a new option for reaching Malé from Bandaranaike International Airport, and will let international passengers combine Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Vietnam in a single itinerary. Bookings are open.
This is an extension of the existing rotation, not a new one
The airline’s announcement does not spell out how the Malé flights relate to the service it already runs here — but the schedule does.
Vietjet began flying Colombo–Ho Chi Minh City on 18 August with three round-trips a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The new Maldives service runs on those same three days. On the days it operates, the aircraft already scheduled into Colombo from Ho Chi Minh City continues onward to Malé and returns, rather than Colombo gaining three additional flights.
That distinction matters for what Sri Lanka actually gains. The country is not picking up new frequencies from Vietnam; it is picking up an onward sector that turns Colombo into a transit point on a longer route — which is the role the airline describes when it says the service enhances “Colombo’s role in the airline’s international network”.
What is not confirmed
The Daily FT describes the route as giving Sri Lankans a new way to reach Malé, which implies tickets will be sold for the Colombo–Malé sector on its own. The filing does not state that explicitly, and carriers do not always sell local traffic on an intermediate leg. Fares, aircraft type and timings for the Colombo–Malé sector are not published in the announcement.
The sale it was announced alongside has closed
The route was disclosed as part of a three-day promotion running 8–10 October, with Eco fares from $90 one way including taxes and fees and 20% off Deluxe base fares. That promotion closed at 21:30 Sri Lanka time on 10 October and is no longer available. It covered travel between 8 October 2026 and 30 September 2027, with blackout dates.
Vietjet also said it is opening routes from Hanoi to Almaty and Prague. No launch date for either was recoverable from the filing.
Not reported
No Sri Lankan verified newsroom other than the Daily FT has reported the December route. The announcement does not say whether the Malé extension is seasonal, what fifth-freedom rights apply, or whether it affects the existing Colombo–Ho Chi Minh City timings. Neither the Airport and Aviation Services authority nor Sri Lanka Tourism is quoted.
Sources: Daily FT.
