14TH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM

National flag carrier ready to fly Vietnamese citizens home from Ukraine

Anh Kiet

Mar 02, 2022 / 04:05 PM

Vietnam Airlines has experience in conducting evacuation flights from conflict zones.

The national flag carrier of Vietnam Airlines has submitted its plans to the Ministry of Transport, saying it stands ready to evacuate Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine.

Accordingly, as it is not possible to sent airplanes to Ukraine which is a combat zone, the national flag carrier proposed to take Vietnamese expats in Ukraine home via Warsaw (Poland), Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Bratislava (Slovakia), Moscow (Russia) and Minsk (Belarus).

Besides the above-mentioned locations, the carrier said it is ready to fly to any other locations chosen by the Government, on the principle of ensuring safety and the most possible convenience for Vietnamese citizens and their families in Ukraine.

The national flag carrier stands ready to evacuate Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Currently, the conflict zone, Ukrainian airspace and part of the southwest of Russia have been temporarily closed to civilian flights. Therefore, Vietnamese citizens are instructed to move to safe areas with no flight restriction to be evacuated, said Vietnam Airlines Deputy General Director Trinh Hong Quang.

He affirmed the carrier always stands ready to carry out the mission as directed by the Vietnamese Government, adding that Vietnam Airlines has experience in conducting evacuation flights from conflict zones, and has sufficient personnel and knowledge to operate similar flights when requested.

Over the past time, it repatriated hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese citizens from more than 30 countries, regions and territories amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier, on February 26, in a dispatch on protecting Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked domestic airlines to be ready with plans to fly Vietnamese citizens home from Ukraine.

The dispatch said the armed conflict in Ukraine has spread in a fast and complicated manner, directly threatening the lives and assets of people and businesses, including around 7,000 Vietnamese living in Ukraine, mainly in Kharkiv, Odesa and Kiev.

In such a situation, one of the top concerns of the Party, State, and the Government is to ensure the highest security and safety of lives, assets, and legitimate interests of Vietnamese citizens and legal entities in Ukraine and neighboring areas.

On February 28, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) sent a written request to Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Bamboo Airways, asking them to prepare resources (aircraft, pilots and crew members) and plans on conducting flights to repatriate Vietnamese and their family members in Ukraine.

CAAV asks air carriers to avoid routes affected by Russia - Ukraine tensions

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To ensure absolute safety for flight operations to, from and over the territories of Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova, Vietnamese domestic carriers are advised not to choose airports near war-affected areas.

Losses of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines are less than expected

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In 2020, Vietnam Airlines operated 96,500 flights, down 48% year-on-year amid the Covid-19 crisis.

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