Vietnam air travel demand surges 12 pct

By Thi Ha December 29, 2019 | 11:44 pm PT

Passengers queue at a check-in counter in HCMC's Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Photo by Shutterstock/Phuong D. Nguyen.

Airports across Vietnam served near 116 million passengers this year, up 12 percent from 2018, with Vietnam Airlines Group and Vietjet dominating the market.

About 64 percent, or 74 million passengers, were domestic, up 11 percent from last year, according to Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV).

The remaining 41.7 million foreign travelers grew by 13.6 percent from last year, with Noi Bai International Airport, Da Nang International Airport and central Cam Ranh International Airport near Nha Trang experiencing the highest traffic growth.

Vietnam Airlines Group accounted for over 50 percent of the market share. It comprises national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, low-cost arm Jetstar Pacific and Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO).

Budget carrier Vietjet accounted for 41.9 percent of the market.

ACV Chairman Lai Xuan Thanh said overload will be a challenge next year as red tape in aviation infrastructure and investment constrains upgrade and expansion projects, like at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, which handles 30 percent of the country’s air passengers.

Another concern is slower growth in foreign passenger numbers, which dropped from over 20 percent in 2016-2018 to 13.6 percent, he added.

ACV forecasts the number of air passengers would rise by 10 percent to 127 million next year.