Passengers locked in Ho Chi Minh City airport jetway after midnight flight

By Minh Nga June 16, 2025 | 09:46 pm PT

A photo shared by one passenger on Facebook shows many stuck inside a jet bridge corridor at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC after midnight of June 15, 2025.

Passengers on a late-night flight arriving at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airport were left waiting for about 40 minutes inside a sealed jet bridge corridor after ground staff failed to open the exit door in a timely manner.

Nguyen Quoc Binh, an administrator of the OFFB Facebook community focused on automobiles and transportation, recounted the incident in a post that quickly gained traction online. OFFB, one of Vietnam's most active groups in the transportation space, currently has over 1 million members.

Speaking to Dan Tri newspaper, Binh said he flew with Bamboo Airways from Da Nang, with the flight departing at 10:50 p.m. on Saturday and landing at Tan Son Nhat Airport at 12:20 a.m. on Sunday.

The aircraft parked at a jet bridge at Terminal 1, eliminating the need for shuttle buses. However, after disembarking and walking through the jet bridge, passengers, pilots, and crew were unable to exit, as the glass door at the end of the corridor remained locked.

"There were no ground staff there at all. Everyone had to wait for a long time. Even the pilots and crew had to stand and wait," Binh said.

He described the flight as fully booked, with passengers packed into a closed, stuffy space. Babies cried, people shouted, and some banged on the locked door. Several passengers voiced their frustration to the pilot, but the crew appeared powerless to resolve the situation.

After about 40 minutes, an airport security officer and an airline staff member arrived to unlock the door. Binh said he overheard the airline staff criticizing the security personnel for the delay, suggesting there had been a miscommunication.

Many passengers, already exhausted by the late hour, were visibly upset as they exited the jet bridge. Binh noted that no official explanation was given at the time or after leaving the airport.

The incident quickly drew public attention on social media and local news platforms.

In response, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) on Monday instructed the Southern Airports Authority to work with Tan Son Nhat Airport and relevant units to verify the incident and determine what went wrong.

In a statement on its website, the CAAV called for stronger oversight of airlines and ground service providers to ensure consistent service quality.

Tan Son Nhat airport authorities were directed to review their passenger-handling procedures and inter-agency coordination. Officials are expected to identify the cause of the delay and recommend solutions to prevent similar occurrences in the future.