VietJet Air starts Hanoi–Almaty–Prague flights on 10 October 2026. It is the Vietnamese carrier's first route to Europe, and it runs via Kazakhstan. Flights will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, on Airbus A330 aircraft.
The launch had been postponed: the airline originally named 11 July and announced the new date in late May. According to the airline, the Almaty–Hanoi leg departs Almaty at 08:10 Astana time and arrives in Hanoi at 16:20 Vietnam time; the return departs Hanoi at 08:25 and arrives in Almaty at 12:50. The Almaty–Prague leg departs at 14:20 and arrives at 18:55 local time; the return departs Prague at 20:30 and arrives in Almaty at 07:10 the next day. Tickets with up to 40 kg of baggage and hot meals started from KZT 185,000, according to Forbes.kz.
The route operates under Kazakhstan's open skies regime. According to Aviation Week, fifth-freedom rights on Almaty–Prague allow VietJet to carry passengers solely between Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic. Kazakhstan's Transport Ministry, as reported by Air Cargo Week, said the route strengthens the country's position as a transit bridge between Asia and Europe. VietJet Vice President Jay L. Lingeswara spoke of exploring intermediate-stop flights to Germany, France and the UK.
Our assessment: Almaty gains a direct link to Prague, and Kazakhstan strengthens its position as a connecting point between Vietnam and Europe. For the airport, tour operators and cargo forwarders, it is an additional offer on a pair of cities that had no direct flight. This is flycentralasia's conclusion, not a statement by the airline.
For tour operators and airports in the region: check departure days against your programmes and review connection conditions in Almaty.
Load factors and A330 cabin configuration have not been published. The airline has not yet confirmed plans for other European cities.