Recovery begins for aviation sector

The full lifting of restrictions on the frequency of international flights from February 15 and the introduction of tourism stimulus programs will help the aviation sector recover as soon as possible after a long hiatus, but poor infrastructure may hold it back.

Since the pilot reopening of international flights in January, 153,000 travelers had arrived in or left Vietnam as of February 14, double the number during lockdown, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam reported. The number of international passengers in 2022 is forecast to reach 13 million, a significant increase compared to the meager 200,000 in 2021.

Though there are signs of improvement in international transport, figures are very much down compared to before the pandemic, Mr. Dinh Viet Thang, Director of the CAAV, pointed out. Most on board are businesspeople, experts, or people returning home, while few are tourists.

“It is necessary to fully restore regular international flight routes so that carriers can proactively plan flight schedules and passengers have more opportunities to fly,” he emphasized.

While optimistic about the prospects for the aviation industry this year, Assoc Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong, former Head of the Aeronautical Engineering Department at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and an aviation expert, is concerned that the sector’s growth may be high but that preparations by State management agencies will be found wanting and infrastructure may not be able to keep pace with rising passenger demand.

He believes private carriers like Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways should participate in the development of airport infrastructure, in concert with the Airports Corporation of Vietnam.