The coronavirus outbreak has caused the aviation industry to suffer heavily. A lot of flights have been canceled.

“I have had to fly empty aircraft to Hanoi in the last two days. Each flight costs VND500-700 million. It is foreseeable that the airline will incur a big loss,” Hoang said.

Working for the airline for five years, Hoang said he has never had such a problem before. He estimated that the number of flying hours of the pilots has dropped by 50 percent, which means lower income. 

Most recently, two teams of Vietnam Airlines were told to halt working and stay isolated after a coronavirus infected passenger was discovered on a flight from Zhengzhou, China to Nha Trang City, Vietnam.

Most recently, two teams of Vietnam Airlines were told to halt working and stay isolated after a coronavirus infected passenger was discovered on a flight from Zhengzhou, China to Nha Trang City, Vietnam.

Fearing coronavirus, many passengers have canceled flights and asked for refunds.

Hanh, director of a consumer goods company in Tan Binh district, decided to cancel flights between HCM City and Thanh Hoa for her two children for fear for nCoV. Tam, the manager of a labor export company, has postponed a flight to Japan for three new workers until August.

Thu, a first-class booking agent in Thanh Xuan district, commented that passengers are canceling all flights unless they are urgent.

“Tourists are not flying to Australia, China, Japan and South Korea. Even the flights on domestic air routes are unsalable,” she said.

Hoa, the owner of a booking agent on Quang Trung street in Go Vap district, HCM City, said in previous years, the number of passengers booking tickets to Hanoi was always high in January and February, the Huong Pagoda festival season. However, it is quite different this year.

Hoa said she is considering cutting the staff to cut the operation cost.

With the scenario that the number of foreign travelers wouldn’t increase this year because of the epidemic, KBSV warned that Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air, which hold the largest market share, cannot maintain revenue growth in passengers, especially as new airlines join the market.

Air carriers admit that they are under pressure. Vietnam Airlines’ CEO Duong Tri Thanh said the carrier has stopped flying to China and the number of passengers has dropped sharply. To deal with the epidemic, the carrier has changed procedures and services, from in-land to air services, which cost too much money.

According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the number of passengers has decreased by 30-50 percent at Cam Ranh and Da Nang airports.

Chi Mai 

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