Vietnam braces for Tet air travel upsurge

Local airports will serve 387,000 passengers a day on average during the two weeks before and after Tet, the Lunar New Year which falls on January 25, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

Of the total of 2,350 flights a day, 39 percent will be hosted by the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

This means the airport will serve 38 flights on average every hour, close to the maximum mandated limit of 46 an hour.

All local airlines have announced an increase in the number of flights from a regular day. Vietjet plans to have 1,158 additional flights, Vietnam Airlines 1,140, Bamboo Airways 958 and Jetstar Pacific 754.

A large number of the additional flights will fly between domestic locations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, northern Hai Phong City, Da Nang City and central Vinh Town, as locals travel back to their hometown to spend time with their family.

To reduce traffic during prime hours, Dinh Viet Thang, head of CAAV, has asked the Airports Corporation of Vietnam to lower service costs at night to encourage airlines to fly during the late hours.

The country will enjoy a seven-day holiday for the festival, staring January 23, two days before the Lunar New Year.

Local airports served almost 10 million passengers during Tet 2019, which fell in February, according to CAAV.