What does the international press say about Sun PhuQuoc Airways – the airline of Sun Group newly launched on October 15?
On the morning of October 15, global renowned economic newspapers like Bloomberg, Nikkei Asia… simultaneously reported on the launch of Sun PhuQuoc Airways, with a common assessment that the airline will help elevate Phu Quoc's image to the world stage.
The launch of the Vietnamese airline – Sun PhuQuoc Airways on October 15, 2025, has attracted strong interest from the international press. Accordingly, Bloomberg and Nikkei Asia – two news agencies considered 'shapers of global economic information' – assessed that the launch of Sun PhuQuoc Airways takes place amidst the booming Vietnamese tourism industry, bringing both challenges and opportunities for a new airline.
The article about the launch of Sun PhuQuoc Airways even topped Nikkei Asia's daily readership, showing the interest of all of Asia in the emergence of a new airline.
Sun PhuQuoc Airways airline announces flight crew uniforms in an impressive launch ceremony
Both leading global economic newspapers believe this is a strategic move, demonstrating Sun Group's great aspiration to elevate Phu Quoc to the level of famous regional tourist islands like Bali (Indonesia) or Phuket (Thailand).
“Our focus is to connect destinations within the Sun Group ecosystem and attract more tourists, especially to Phu Quoc island. Look at Phuket, Bali, or Jeju — they have all become world-famous destinations. We want to elevate Phu Quoc to a similar status,” Mr. Nguyen Manh Quan, General Director of Sun PhuQuoc Airways, shared with Bloomberg.
In its article, Nikkei Asia commented that the establishment of Sun PhuQuoc Airways is a “strategic move” by Sun Group – a corporation that has invested heavily in infrastructure, tourism, and resorts in Phu Quoc. Mr. Quan shared with Nikkei Asia that the launch of Sun PhuQuoc Airways is not aimed at competing for market share with existing airlines, but rather at building a completely new market centered around Phu Quoc, connecting with domestic and international destinations, thereby contributing to positioning the 'Pearl Island' as a new tourism hub for the region.
According to Nikkei Asia's description, Phu Quoc is one of Vietnam's top destinations, famous for its fine white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, vibrant sunsets, and the long history of pearl farming, earning it the nickname 'Pearl Island'. The newspaper also highlighted that Sun Group is investing in attractive resorts, golf courses, and entertainment services on the island, praising the Kiss Bridge in Sunset Town as a famous spot for couples wanting to take photos with the island's characteristic sunset.
The presence of Sun Phu Quoc Airways marks a new step in the journey to bring Phu Quoc to international level
In the context of Phu Quoc just becoming a special zone under An Giang province and being selected as the venue for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC 2027 Forum - with about 10,000 - 12,000 delegates, including senior leaders from 21 APEC member economies who are heads of state or government leaders of countries such as the US, Russia, China, Japan… - the demand for air connectivity will grow strongly. The presence of an airline with a modern fleet, a well-planned and distinct development strategy will contribute to perfecting transportation infrastructure and tourism services, bringing practical benefits to the community.
Compared to two leading tourism development countries in the region like Thailand or Indonesia, the aviation market in Vietnam still has much room for development. According to Bloomberg, a tourism boom prediction could “compensate” for Vietnam's rapidly developing aviation market. Currently, the number of airlines per capita in Vietnam is still very small compared to the region, as Indonesia has over 20 airlines for a population of 280 million people, Thailand has about 6-10 airlines, compared to a population of 70 million people.
The natural beauty bestowed upon Phu Quoc - an island that has just ranked among the top 3 most wonderful islands on the planet
Along with Sun Group investing in expanding the International Airport Phu Quoc , the emergence of Sun PhuQuoc Airways is considered a crucial piece, promoting a seamless tourism-aviation growth model, affirming the attractiveness of the island recently voted by America's Condé Nast Traveler as the most beautiful island in Asia and third in the world. “When mentioning resort destinations in Asia, people think of famous islands like Phuket, Bali, or Jeju. But why not Phu Quoc?”, Mr. Nguyen Manh Quan shared with Nikkei Asia.
Not only contributing to perfecting the tourism ecosystem of Sun Group in Phu Quoc, Sun PhuQuoc Airways is also expected to create a new impetus for the Vietnamese aviation industry, by bringing an airline model closely linked to destination development. The airline's emergence will increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese aviation, diversify tourism aviation products and services, while expanding international connectivity, bringing Vietnam's image closer to global tourists.
