Vietnamese budget airline Vietjet Air has assured Indonesia that flight attendants serving its upcoming route from Jakarta to Ho Chi Minh City, which is expected to start in December, would not be wearing bikinis.

During a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, the airline’s deputy director for commercial affairs, Jay L Lingeswara, told journalists that the company, which currently operates 35 international routes, only featured bikini-clad flight attendants on specific occasions.

“We strongly believe and are committed to offering the best and suitable services to the Indonesian market,” he said, adding that Vietjet Air had learned from its experience with the opening of a route to Malaysia.

To ensure the airline will provide the Indonesian market with suitable services, Vietjet Air vice president for business development, Dinh Viet Phuong, said it would also provide halal food for Muslim passengers.

Jay said that the company had recognized Indonesia, the country with the largest population in Southeast Asia, as a potential market.

He added that the Jakarta-Ho Chi Minh route could be used to develop several sectors for both Indonesia and Vietnam, such as business and tourism.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the new flight was based on the two countries’ economic relations and tourism connectivity. (rdi/bbn)