Less congestion at HCMC airport as Tet nears

The airport had around 900 flights with over 129,000 passengers on Tuesday, with over 62,000 departing from the domestic terminal. Security gates and check-in booths were full from the morning, but people were no longer squeezing themselves into lines or sitting by and waiting like in the last few days.

Phuong Quynh, 25, said she had a Vietnam Airlines flight in the afternoon, but she was worried the airport would be crowded, and so came three hours before her departure time. Even though it took her a long time to get her family’s baggage checked, she did not have to wait too long in the line.

"Flights began as scheduled, so our Tet journey started off quite well," she said.

There were some flights that were delayed by two or three hours, but most of the flights stayed on schedule. Lower numbers of delayed flights meant fewer passengers piling up in the waiting areas.

A representative of the airport said the waiting areas have seen much fewer people compared to the last few days, even as the number of visitors remains high.

"The weather on Tuesday in the north has gotten better, so all the delaying has been lessened," the representative said, adding that it also helps with the coordination at the airport.

Previously, due to heightened travel demands and heavy fog in the north, around 700 flights at Tan Son Nhat were either delayed or canceled on the first three days of February. Delayed flights forced many passengers to wait for long periods of time at the airport.

A representative of Tan Son Nhat said the airport applies a model of Airport Collaborative Decision Making, which helps units coordinate and share data for decision-making, ensuring the flights are on time.

"It also helps save resources and make coordination between the airport, airlines and ground services more effective," the representative said.

Tan Son Nhat has also been using a cashless toll booth system since Tuesday as a trial to shorten waiting time for cars and reduce congestion.