Passengers warned of Tet overcrowding at Tan Son Nhat airport

The authority said Saturday that this year's Tet would see an increase in the number of trips and passengers at airports compared to the previous year, especially at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

During this holiday, the airport is expected to operate 570 flights per day to serve 75,000 passengers on average. The peak day is projected to have 695 flights and 105,000 passengers.

Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport is expected to have 435 flights with 52,000 passengers per day. On peak day, it could have 520 flights with 70,000 passengers.

Other airports that will also experience a significant increase in passengers include Vinh in central Nghe An Province, Tho Xuan in central Thanh Hoa, Cat Bi in northern Hai Phong, Dong Hoi in central Quang Binh, Phu Bai in central Thua Thien – Hue, Chu Lai in central Quang Nam, and Phu Quoc.

Passengers are advised not to arrive at the airport too early before their departure time to limit the number of people at the airport. They should also tell their family members not to gather in a crowd to pick them up at the airport.

Passengers should complete check-in procedures 2 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international flights.

Tan Son Nhat Airport was designed to accommodate 28 million passengers per year. In 2019, the airport handled more than 41.2 million passengers. In 2022, the number of passengers reached 34 million, causing overload in the terminal, runway, and apron areas.

For the upcoming Tet, Vietnam’s biggest and most important festival, laborers will be granted seven days off.

The holiday will last from Feb. 8 to 14, 2024, allowing people to return home two days before the Year of the Dragon, for which the traditional festival will peak on Feb. 10.