Vietnam weighs resumption of air routes to Europe, Australia

The Vietnamese Ministry of Transport has proposed the government consider resuming regular international commercial flights to Europe and Australia under a pilot plan to meet the repatriation demand of overseas Vietnamese on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

A corner of Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Vietnam may resume international flights from Europe and Australia. Photo: Vietjet Air

The ministry also suggested the government consider conducting seven single flights per week from each of the markets including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan (China), according to the official dispatch signed by Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan on December 29.

These proposals were under the transport ministry’s latest report to Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on a roll-out plan to restore international air connections with Vietnam.

In early December, the ministry also suggested the government conduct the second-phase pilot plan from January 1, 2022, to restore flights to France, Germany, Russia, and Australia. On that basis, five ministries agreed to immediately relaunch regular international commercial flights to the European and Australian markets.

The ministry said aviation authorities of the US, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, and Taiwan (China) basically agreed with the plan.

Based on the results of working with the countries and territories, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has granted a flight permit for Vietnam Airlines to operate the first scheduled flight to Japan on January 5, 2022, and for Vietjet Air and All Nippon Airways (Japan) to conduct flights on January 6, 2022.

According to the ministry, representatives of the Embassies of Japan and South Korea said that due to the Omicron mutation, Japan is tightening entry restrictions for people entering the country. South Korea is considering the proposal of the Vietnamese side as it is temporarily applying a 10-day quarantine upon entry for travelers.

Hanoi ready for foreign tourists

Health declaration checked at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo: Duong Giang

To welcome international visitors, Hanoi is preparing safe transportation conditions with the participation of both the city’s tourism industry and travel businesses.

Although the pandemic is gradually under control, there are still unpredictable risks, forcing the tourism industry to seek appropriate recovery solutions. In particular, the safety factor must be put first: safety in both the service chain, the tour operator organization, and the control work.

Chairman of the Hanoi Travel Association Phung Quang Thang said that the large-scale vaccination will make the travel plan possible, but to promote tourism activities at this time, the connection needs to be safe. Currently, the Hanoi Travel Association continues to work with provinces and cities that are major tourist centers to offer effective solutions.

According to Pham Duy Nghia, Director of VietFoot Travel, in the current conditions to ensure safe and effective passenger transportation, it is necessary to have a common set of criteria on the process of picking up guests between localities as well as to link the tourist areas with localities that are close to each other or share the same epidemiological factors.