Airports see 30 pct surge in passengers during weekend holiday

By Hoang Phong May 5, 2022 | 02:00 am PT

Passengers at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, April 29, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Quang

A total 1.1 million passengers passed through the country's airports during the long weekend holiday, up 25-30 percent against normal days, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

The number was still 3.3 percent lower than the same period last year.

During the holiday (April 30-May 3), Vietnamese airlines operated 3,600 flights, down 13.5 percent year-on-year, according to CAAV report.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City received 375,000 passengers during the four-day break, up 3 percent from the previous year while Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi handled 240,000 passengers, down 4 percent.

Earlier, domestic carriers had increased flight frequency on domestic routes connecting Hanoi and HCMC with popular tourist destinations like Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Con Dao Islands.

Though the number of air passengers during this year's holiday saw a slight decrease against the same period last year, many localities in north and central Vietnam witnessed a tourism boom that earned them millions of dollars in tourism revenues.

Thanh Hoa, home to FLC Sam Son Beach & Golf Resort, led the country in terms of tourist numbers at 898,000, up 85 percent year-on-year. Its tourism revenue reached VND1.96 trillion ($85.38 million), increasing by 123 percent year-on-year.