Vietnam Airlines Corp. will start non-stop flights from Hanoi to Kuala Lumpur from June 16 and intends to increase the frequency on two other Asian routes, the company said in a statement on its website.

The state-owned carrier, which plans to complete an initial public offering by the end of 2012, intends to operate seven flights a week between Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur, it said. Flights between Hanoi and Singapore will increase to 11 per week from the current seven, also starting June 16. The company will double the number of flights on its Hanoi-Bangkok route to 14 times weekly, it said.

The introduction of the Kuala Lumpur flight will bring the number of international routes operated by the airline to 45.

Earlier this month Vietnam Airlines announced it will begin direct flights to the UK this fall. It plans to operate four services a week to London from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.