Domestic airlines ramp up flights for holiday despite fewer planes available

A representative of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam on Tuesday said domestic airlines had planned to provide 100,000-110,000 seats a day for domestic routes during the holiday an increase of around 20% compared to March. The holiday is expected to last five days as combined with a previous weekend.

Airports will also see more frequent plane landing and taking off.

Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport for example will see 42 flights per hour during the day, instead of the usual 37; while HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat Airport will see 46 flights per hour during peak periods, instead of the usual 44.

Passengers check in for flights at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City, January 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

The authority said the rates of booked seats on many flights are high, even if there are still three weeks left until the holiday. For example, on April 27, the Hanoi-Quang Binh flight route is 99% booked, while the HCMC-Tuy Hoa route is 82% booked.

A representative of Vietnam Airlines said despite difficulties regarding the number of available planes, the carrier still slightly increased the number of seats compared to the same period last year thanks to efficient management. This holiday, the national carrier plans to add 30-40 flights to its daily roster.

Budget carrier Vietjet Air plans to add 80 flights a day during the holiday.

The number of available planes for domestic airlines is 40-45 lower than the same period last year due to restructuring and lower number of crew member composition.

Bamboo Airways only has nine planes now compared to 28 in the past. Pacific Airlines have returned six Airbus 320 planes.

Due to the fact that engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has to recall its engines to fix errors, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air, which employ 40 planes with such engines, will not be able to use them for the 2024-2025 period.