At the conference to evaluate the results of the first 6 months of the year and deploy tasks for the last 6 months of the year of the Ministry of Transport (MOT) on July 3, Mr. Dinh Viet Thang, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, said that in the first 6 months of this year, the total passenger market is estimated at 38.1 million passengers, an increase of 6.7% over the same period in 2023.

Of which, international visitors reached more than 21 million, an increase of more than 44% over the same period in 2023 and exceeding the same period in 2019 - the time before the Covid-19 pandemic; however, domestic visitors only reached 17 million, a decrease of more than 19% over the same period last year.

This is a remarkable result in the context of a shortage of aircraft fleet. More than 40 aircraft of Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air, mainly A321s, were recalled for maintenance due to manufacturer engine errors. Bamboo Airways reduced its fleet to less than 10 aircraft due to restructuring. In addition, leaders of domestic airlines admitted that leasing aircraft is not easy.

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Domestic air passengers reached only 17 million, down more than 19% compared to the same period in 2023. Photo: Hoang Ha

Regarding the international flight network, by the 2024 summer flight schedule, 63 foreign airlines and 4 Vietnamese airlines have fully recovered and continued to expand to new markets in Central Asia, India, and Australia.

Notably, the Chinese transportation market is gradually recovering, expected to reach 2.5 million passengers in the first 6 months of the year (an increase of more than 3 times compared to the same period in 2023 and equal to 62% compared to the same period in 2019) to return to the 2nd position among the 10 largest international markets in the second quarter of 2024.

Meanwhile, South Korea remains the most important market, expected to reach 5.3 million visitors in the past 6 months.

Regarding domestic flights, according to Mr. Dinh Viet Thang, due to a shortage of aircraft, domestic airlines have had to adjust and reduce supply.

In reality, this is also the reason why airfares have skyrocketed. Although airlines have made efforts to charter aircraft, adjust flight schedules, and increase capacity - especially late and early morning flights - on busy routes during the peak summer season, the domestic market has still decreased sharply compared to the same period in 2023 and 2019.

Therefore, most recently, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has requested Vietnamese airlines to supplement transport forces and increase capacity on international and domestic routes.

Airlines need to actively work with aircraft leasing partners around the world to search for aircraft, supplement the transport force, replace aircraft that have been discontinued due to engine recalls, and at the same time study increasing the supply capacity on domestic routes and tourism routes.

Regarding ticket prices, airlines need to strictly implement regulations on domestic passenger transport service prices, declare prices, post prices, publicize information on prices and ticket sales programs according to regulations.

At the same time, review and adjust the way information is displayed, clarify the items that customers must pay in the displayed ticket price, and avoid confusing passengers when purchasing tickets.

At the conference, Director Dinh Viet Thang informed that in the coming time, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam will continue to direct airlines to implement solutions to have a supply not lower than in 2023, such as reducing turnaround time, optimizing aircraft operating time during the day, and increasing flights after 10 p.m.

In addition, this agency will closely monitor and supervise the operations and fleets of airlines, especially those undergoing restructuring such as Bamboo Airways and Pacific Airlines, to ensure safe and secure operations as well as protect the rights of passengers.

Prices skyrocket, hot route tickets are still half sold out during the peak summer season . Airline ticket prices are skyrocketing despite cooling down, people are tightening their spending,... so even though it's the peak summer travel season, the booking rate for flights is still low; some "hot" routes are still half sold out during the weekend.