Russia and Vietnam have agreed to expand opportunities for designated airlines to operate flights between the two countries. The agreement was reached during talks between the aviation authorities in Hanoi, led by Russian Deputy Minister of Transport Vladimir Poteshkin and Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Uong Viet Dung. This was reported on the official website of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation.
Poteshkin highlighted the importance of making air travel more accessible to citizens of Russia and Vietnam. The expansion of flight frequencies follows the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vietnamese President To Lam.
The aviation authorities signed a memorandum of understanding, under which the number of flights that designated airlines from each country can operate will increase to 105 per week. The possibility of signing the document was discussed at the 1st International Transport and Logistics Forum, held in St. Petersburg in April 2026.
At present, four Russian airlines operate 39 weekly flights to Vietnam on 11 routes, while two Vietnamese airlines serve 13 routes with 31 weekly flights. In 2025, Russian airlines carried more than 664,000 passengers between the two countries. In the first seven months of 2026, airlines from Russia and Vietnam transported 1.07 million passengers, with the total expected to exceed 2 million by the end of the year.
The two countries will continue working to expand air transport cooperation and the network of routes to Vietnam, including from Kazan, Barnaul, Novokuznetsk, and Blagoveshchensk.
Against the backdrop of the rapid development of the aviation sector in the BRICS countries and their partners, many nations are relying on digital transformation and the expansion of airport infrastructure to enhance the efficiency of air travel.
In the UAE, the airport in Dubai has launched a new digital service for completing entry and exit procedures using mobile devices equipped with biometric verification technology, enabling procedures to be completed in around 12 seconds.
Emirates News Agency (WAM), a partner of TV BRICS, reported that the service aims to improve efficiency at border crossings and reduce queues and has processed more than 31,000 transactions during its trial phase.
In India, the government has announced a plan to build 100 new airports over the next ten years as part of the UDAN programme to expand regional air connectivity. Trinity Mirror, a partner of TV BRICS, quoted Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu as saying that the number of airports in the country has risen from 74 in 2014 to 166 at present.
In Indonesia, the authorities intend to build 39 new airports with the aim of increasing the country’s total number of airports to 296, with a focus on safety and sustainability standards and the adoption of modern technologies. According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), a partner of TV BRICS, these plans form part of efforts to improve air connectivity between remote regions and isolated islands.
The BRICS partner countries are also expanding its aviation infrastructure and international connectivity.
Kazakhstan is working to implement 11 infrastructure projects by 2028, including the construction of four new airports and runways, and the modernisation of existing facilities. According to Kazinform, a partner of TV BRICS, the country also plans to expand its network of international routes to 135 routes across 30 countries.
These initiatives reflect a shared approach among the BRICS countries and their partners towards developing an aviation sector based on innovation and digital transformation, improving air connectivity, and supporting tourism, trade and economic development.