VN airlines boost capacity amid holiday rush

Vietnamese airlines are planning to offer approximately 900,000 seats on domestic routes to meet the rising demands of the peak holiday period from April 26 to May 2, a report of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) showed.

Of these, flights from Hà Nội and HCM City to various destinations will account for 657,000 seats across 3,400 flights scheduled, up 4.2 per cent and 5.5 per cent, respectively, compared to the same period last year. However, the aviation industry anticipates the fleet is down by 40-45 aircrafts from last year to 165-170 during this period.

The occupancy rates of flights from

Hà Nội and HCM City to popular tourist destinations like Nha Trang, Buôn Ma Thuột, Đà Nẵng, Côn Đảo, Phú Quốc, Quy Nhơn, Quảng Bình, and Thừa Thiên-huế vary between 30 per cent and 70 per cent.

In particular, the Hà Nội – Điện Biên and HCM City – Côn Đảo routes reached the highest occupancy rates of 80-95 per cent on April 27-28.

Given the aircraft shortage challenges, the CAAV has increased the number of take-off and landing frequencies at the Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội and Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City. These adjustments include increasing the hourly flight operations and streamlining aircraft turnaround time to align with each airport’s capacity.

In the near future, Vietnamese airlines are encouraged to lease additional aircraft for the short term and extend operational hours, particularly during evening and nightime periods.

Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air are expected to increase their aircraft utilisation from 10 and 12-13 hours per day to approximately 11-12 and 13-14 hours, respectively. Close coordination with ground service units will help reduce aircraft turnaround time from 45 minutes to about 30-35 minutes.