Tan Son Nhat airport records highest single-day international arrivals post pandemic

By Hoang Phong November 22, 2022 | 12:19 am PT

Aircraft park at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC, August 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Tan Son Nhat, Vietnam's busiest airport in Ho Chi Minh City, welcomed 33,000 international passengers on Nov. 20, the highest single-day number since reopening post Covid-19.

The figure reached 70% of pre-pandemic levels - 45,000 passengers a day in 2019, the Southern Airports Authority said.

Aviation authorities expected the number of international air passengers going through Vietnamese airports would fully recover to pre-pandemic times next year in case China reopens its borders to foreign tourists.

Vietnam resumed international flights in January and reopened to foreign tourists in mid-March this year.

Aviation officials expect the number of international passengers going through Vietnamese airports this year to reach 10 million, or around 24% of pre-pandemic levels.

They expect the number of air passengers to increase during the year-end tourism season and Tet, or Lunar New Year holiday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam earlier green-lighted the addition of 8,000 flights, up 32% against normal, to cater to higher travel demand during Tet.