Cam Ranh welcomes first int'l flight in months

The flight operated by South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines departed Incheon International Airport carrying the employees of shipbuilding company Hyundai Vinashin based in Khanh Hoa.

Upon arrival in Cam Ranh airport, they underwent health screenings and were transferred by specialized vehicle to a nearby hotel for quarantine.

Le Thi Hong Minh, general director of Cam Ranh International Terminal JSC, told VTV this flight marked the restart of inbound commercial flights to Cam Ranh airport after a long period of suspension due to the complicated development of Covid-19.

The return flight from Cam Ranh to Incheon departing the same day repatriated 30 South Koreans.

Since late April, when the fourth coronavirus wave triggered by the Delta variant hit the country, Cam Ranh airport only received repatriation flights.

The Vietnamese government closed national borders and canceled all international flights in March last year with only Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts and highly-skilled workers allowed in with stringent conditions.

Khanh Hoa is planning to reopen tourism for its own residents on Oct. 15 and welcome back vaccinated foreign tourists from early December if the pandemic situation is under control.

In the ongoing Covid-19 wave, Khanh Hoa has been among the hardest hit localities with over 7,500 infections.