The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has made a proposal aimed at limiting combo flights to reduce congestion occurring at COVID-19 testing areas at both Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat International Airports.
CAAV proposed limiting combo flights to reduce congestion occurring at COVID-19 testing areas at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat International Airports (Photo: kinhtedothi.vn)
The CAAV revealed that a total 47 international flights carrying 6,094 passengers landed in the nation from January 4 to January 7, including 16 regular commercial flights, 20 combo flights, and 11 flights for foreign experts.
Of the total, 15 flights containing over 1,285 passengers touched down at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, while 23 flights with 2,950 passengers landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, resulting in an overload at COVID-19 testing sites.
The CAAV has closely co-ordinated with other airlines in order to adjust the landing time in a proper manner in order to minimise congestion which might happen at these areas at the two international airports.
Despite these efforts, airlines have faced hurdles in changing departure times from overseas, leading to difficulties in making thorough adjustments to the landing time.
As a result of this issue, the CAAV has requested that relevant ministries move to reduce combo flights carrying Vietnamese citizens home and landing at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports until there are official adjustments made to regulations on COVID-19 rapid testing for passengers entering the country.
The adjusted combo flights landing at Van Don, Da Nang, and Cam Ranh international airports will not significantly affect operations at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports, according to the CAAV.