Aiming to capture the rising demand of air travel in the country, Vietnam on Tuesday (November 25) launched its first privately-owned flight “Indochina Airlines”.  The Airlines will operate four daily flights between the southern commercial center of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

It is the third airline to offer domestic flights in Vietnam, joining national carrier Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific, a partnership between a state-owned carrier and Australia's Qantas, which holds an 18 percent stake.

The company, chaired by Ha Hung Dung, a well-known Vietnamese pop music composer and businessman, also offers two flights daily between Ho Chi Minh City and the central coastal city of Danang. Dung said that the launch of the airlines aimed to meet growing air travel demand in Vietnam and will offer more choices to customers. Indochina Airlines has registered capital of $12 million and is leasing two 174-seat Boeing 737-800s.

In the next two or three years, the company hopes to add flights to the resort city of Nha Trang and the ancient capital of Hue, as well as countries in the region. According to Vietnam's Civil Aviation Administration Passenger air travel to and from Vietnam has grown between 13 and 17 percent annually in recent years.