9M flights by Vietnamese airlines down sharply

In the first nine months of 2021, flights conducted by Vietnamese airlines stood at 105,384, down 29.1 per cent year-on-year, according to figures from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV).

Vietnam Airlines operated 39,544 flights, down 33.1 per cent, Vietjet Air 35,071, down 36.3 per cent, and Bamboo Airways 20,361, up 14.5 per cent. Vietravel Airlines, which is the newest airline in the country, conducted the fewest flights, at 1,287. On-time performance for Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, and Bamboo Airways was 96.8 per cent, 93 per cent, and 96.9 per cent, respectively.

Due to the severe impact of the fourth wave of the pandemic, not only international flights but also domestic flights were grounded. Many airlines have only conducted a limited number of cargo flights and flights carrying passengers on official pandemic prevention duties, ferrying passengers from southern provinces to other localities, and moving citizens between two localities applying social distancing.

Flights on ten domestic routes are to resume on October 10, however, according to a proposal from the CAAV, with a low flight frequency.

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has also proposed two options to restore operations at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, with regular domestic flights between the capital and Ho Chi Minh City to also resume on October 10.