There are only 5 direct flights
During the April 30 - May 1 holiday this year, Ms. Phan Tu Thao's family in Ben Thuy Ward, Vinh City plans to go to the coastal city of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province for a vacation. However, finding a plane ticket from Vinh to this tourist destination is not easy.
Ms. Thao shared: I searched for air tickets on the ticket sales websites of airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Bamboo Airways... and only Vietnam Airlines opened tickets for the Vinh - Nha Trang route. However, there are no direct flights but have to take connecting flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This is very disadvantageous, not only does it increase costs but it also takes a lot of time to travel.
Ms. Thao said that before, her family also took the Vinh - Nha Trang flight. At that time, VietJet Air branch in Nghe An had a direct flight with a cost of more than 1 million VND/way, the flight time was also just over 1 hour. However, currently, VietJet Air has temporarily stopped operating this route for about a year. Only Vietnam Airlines operates but has to fly connecting flights.
On April 27, the first day of the holiday, there were 6 flights from Vinh to Nha Trang by Vietnam Airlines, including 2 connecting flights from Hanoi and 4 connecting flights from Ho Chi Minh City. The current ticket price is over 5 million VND/way, the flight time is also from 4 to 6 hours. Due to these disadvantages, Ms. Thao's family is considering switching to a bus, although the travel time is more than 15 hours, the ticket price is only from 800,000 to 1,000,000 VND, suitable for the family's finances.
The country has 22 civil airports serving the travel needs of passengers, including 12 international airports and 10 domestic airports. However, according to Vinh International Airport, there are currently only 5 direct flights to and from Vinh, including: Vinh - Hanoi, Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh - Da Lat, Vinh - Buon Ma Thuot and Vinh - Can Tho. In addition to these 5 flights, if passengers want to travel to the remaining provinces by air, they will have to take connecting flights or find other means of transport.
Mr. Ngo Tri Chau, Dien Nguyen commune, Dien Chau district, currently working in Da Nang city, said: In the past, I often chose to go to Da Nang city by plane, however, for more than a year now, the Vinh - Da Nang flight route has not been put into operation, forcing me to take the train or bus. This is one of the big cities, a famous tourist destination as well as many universities where Nghe An children are studying, so the suspension of direct flights from Vinh to Da Nang is a disadvantage.
A representative of VietJet Air in Nghe An said: Currently, VietJet Air is operating 7 direct flights from Vinh to provinces and cities, specifically Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh - Buon Ma Thuot, Vinh - Da Lat, Vinh - Can Tho, Vinh - Da Nang, Vinh - Cam Ranh and Vinh - Phu Quoc. However, since last summer, 3 routes have been temporarily suspended, namely Vinh - Da Nang, Vinh - Cam Ranh and Vinh - Phu Quoc. The remaining flights are still operating with about 10 flights per day, with a stable number of passengers.
“During the upcoming April 30 - May 1 holiday, although the number of passengers will increase compared to normal days, there is still no announcement of the reopening of the 3 suspended flights, this depends entirely on the plan of the parent company,” added a representative of VietJet Air in Nghe An.
Efforts to serve passengers
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nghiem Manh Tuan - Director of Vinh International Airport said: Currently, there are 3 airlines operating flights at Vinh airport including Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Bamboo Airways with 17 flights per day (34 takeoffs and landings). Of which, there are 10 flights of VietJet Air, 6 flights of Vietnam Airlines and 1 flight of Bamboo Airways.
“In fact, over the past year, the number of flights to and from Vinh city, Nghe An has decreased compared to previous years. Previously, there were an average of 20-25 flights per day (50 takeoffs and landings). The number of flights depends on the airlines' plans. The reduction in flights has also affected people's travel needs, especially if connecting flights will take more time and cost, people have to make specific plans to travel... In addition, in 2023, some force majeure incidents such as fog or cracked airport runways will also affect the operations of some flights," Mr. Tuan added.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son - Head of Vietnam Airlines branch in Nghe An said: Previously, the airline operated a number of flights to provinces and cities, but for about a year now, there are only 6 flights including 2 flights from Vinh to Hanoi and 4 flights from Vinh to Ho Chi Minh City every day. The operation of the flights depends on the plans of other companies. However, the suspension of other flights is also partly due to the number of passengers not meeting the demand.
With the number of flights decreasing, direct flights are few while ticket prices are high, passengers are considering traveling by other means. Especially in 2024, the expressway from Nghe An to the northern provinces will be opened, so many people have chosen to use personal vehicles to travel, both proactively with time and saving costs.
However, in terms of superiority, air travel has many advantages over other means of transport. Therefore, the wish of Nghe An people as well as tourists who want to come to Nghe An is that airlines increase the number of flights, resume flights that are temporarily suspended, and balance appropriate ticket prices. During the flight, always update weather forecasts to adjust take-off/landing times to suit Nghe An weather conditions, reducing cancellations or delays.
Mr. Nghiem Manh Tuan - Director of Vinh International Airport said: Our point of view is that even if the number of flights or passengers decreases, the staff at the airport will still serve the needs of passengers in the best way. Based on the actual situation, the airport will work with airlines to propose suitable flights, facilitating people's travel. In the coming time, when Vinh International Airport is upgraded and expanded, it will not only meet the needs of passengers traveling to and from Vinh, Nghe An but also be a lever for economic, social and tourism development.
On February 27, 2024, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 30/QD-UBND approving the investment policy to upgrade and expand Vinh airport with a total investment of 233.6 billion VND. The project will focus on the renovation and expansion of the aircraft parking lot to increase the total number of aircraft parking positions from 6 to 9 Code C parking positions; construction progress, project completion and putting into use within 12 months from the date of completion of site clearance, land allocation and construction permit issuance.
It is known that according to the planning of Vietnam's airport system in the period of 2021-2030, Vinh International Airport has a scale, airport level 4E with a total area of 557 hectares, designed capacity to serve 8 million passengers/year, the 4th largest among 14 international airports in Vietnam. Currently, Vinh airport only has a 2,400 m take-off runway that has been invested in and repaired since 2003, so it can only accommodate A230, A321 aircraft with reduced load or equivalent; it cannot receive large aircraft such as Airbus's A350 or Boeing's B777, B797, so it is difficult to meet the needs of serving international flights./.
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