Aviation welcomes first international passengers, opening a "pivotal" year of development

(NLDO)- Despite many difficulties, 2025 is expected to be a pivotal year for Vietnamese airlines to develop strongly.

On the morning of January 1, 2025, many airports across the country held ceremonies to welcome the first passengers of 2025.

Hàng không đón những vị khách quốc tế đầu tiên, mở đầu năm — Ho Chi Minh City welcomes the first passengers from Paris (France) on flight VN 10

This is an annual activity organized by Vietnam Airlines in coordination with provinces and cities with the participation of leaders of People's Committees, Departments of Tourism of provinces and cities, representatives of airports...

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed the first passengers from Paris (France) on flight VN 10. Meanwhile, passengers on flight VN 110 from Ho Chi Minh City were the first guests to visit Da Nang in 2025.

Hai Phong, Binh Dinh and Quang Binh all welcomed the first passengers of 2025 from Hanoi. Thua Thien Hue and Dak Lak welcomed the first passengers of the year departing from Ho Chi Minh City.

Passengers and crew were warmly welcomed with flowers, gifts and special ceremonies. Some lucky customers received gifts of air tickets from Vietnam Airlines…

2025 is forecast to be a challenging year for the aviation industry as the difficulties of 2024 remain and there are not many signs of improvement such as the world political situation is still unstable, input factors such as exchange rates and fuel prices are high, and difficulties with engines and spare parts.

As of December 20, 2024, the total number of aircraft registered in Vietnam was 249 (220 fixed-wing aircraft and 29 helicopters), a decrease of 12 aircraft compared to 2023, of which 33 aircraft were grounded for more than 12 months, an increase of 16 aircraft grounded for storage compared to 2023.

For the Vietnamese aviation market, the volume of passengers transported is expected to continue to grow well over the same period. Total international passengers are expected to reach over 45 million, an increase of over 11% over the same period. Total domestic passengers are expected to reach nearly 36 million, an increase of over 5% over the same period.

Vietnam Airlines alone sets a target of over 156,000 flights with 25 million passengers, an increase of 12% over the same period; transporting 336,300 tons of cargo, an increase of 10%.

The parent company's revenue is estimated to reach over VND 95,600 billion, up 13.3% over the same period, and the Corporation aims to exceed the 2024 performance target and the 5-year plan reported in the overall restructuring project of Vietnam Airlines.

To achieve the above goals, Vietnam Airlines focuses on solutions to improve resource efficiency, especially increasing fleet utilization by 5% compared to 2024, striving to increase labor productivity by over 7%.

The airline recommends that the Prime Minister and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to develop a strategy for the aviation industry in connection with other sectors such as tourism, hotels, services, road transport, etc., along with programs to develop national competitiveness that also need to be built to build the aviation industry into a spearhead, connecting with other sectors.

The Government has issued open and simple policies and mechanisms to support Vietnam Airlines and businesses in the industry to quickly deploy a complex of synchronous aviation specialized service works at Long Thanh International Airport; further loosening immigration policies, thereby adding visa-free countries, especially large potential markets such as the US, Australia, India, etc.

According to Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines Dang Ngoc Hoa, 2025 will be a pivotal year for domestic airlines to develop strongly.

Vietnam Aviation 2024 basically recovers

In 2024, the international aviation market will continue to recover and grow, but purchasing power in the domestic market will weaken.

Total international arrivals to Vietnam are estimated at nearly 41 million, up more than 28% year-on-year, close to pre-pandemic levels (2019). The total domestic tourist market reached over 34 million visitors, down 14% year-on-year and down 8% compared to 2019.

The operations of Vietnamese airlines have gradually recovered, transporting 53.3 million passengers (a slight decrease of 4.5% compared to 2023), of which international passengers increased by 18.5%. Cargo volume reached 445.7 thousand tons (an increase of 35.7% compared to the same period in 2023).

In 2024, Vietnam Airlines' flight network has basically fully recovered and grown compared to the pre-pandemic period, with 58 international routes to 30 destinations in 18 countries and 38 domestic routes to 22 destinations. The total number of flights reached nearly 140,000, an increase of more than 7% over the same period, recovering 95% compared to 2019. The number of passengers transported on the entire network is estimated at nearly 23 million, an increase of nearly 8% over the same period, almost completely recovered compared to 2019 (over 99%). The parent company's revenue is estimated at over VND 84,400 billion and has completed the goal of balancing production and business efficiency in 2024.

Some images welcoming the first passengers of 2025 at many airports across the country on the morning of January 1, 2025: