Vietnam Airlines will officially open its direct flights to Frankfurt, Germany, as from June 20, nearly six months ahead of schedule amid the increasing number of passengers from Germany to Vietnam.

  According to deputy general director of the Vietnam Airlines Corporation Pham Ngoc Minh, German visitors to Vietnam numbered 70,000 in 2004, an increase of around 70 percent from the previous year.

Mr Minh said that Vietnam Airlines will initially offer two flights from Hanoi and one flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Frankfurt and visa versa every week. So far, all seats on these flights to be in June and July have been booked.

The direct flights will save passengers around five hours in comparison with the existing flights, which require a transit in Russia.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines is negotiating with German air carrier Lufthansa to provide code-sharing service on the Germany-Vietnam route, scheduled to begin in winter this year.

Mr Minh also revealed that the Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration is negotiating to open direct flights to the US. It is also in negotiations with Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan for permission to make a transit in one of their airports before flying to the US, he added.