Based on the instruction of Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam asked the Ministry of Transport’s approval for the suspension of all regular passenger transport activities between localities that are implementing social distancing according to Directive 16 of the Prime Minister, including the usually busy Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi air route.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam affirmed that priority should be given to flights serving official duties and disease prevention tasks. In necessary cases, the two involving localities (departure and arrival) must have plans to promptly perform Covid-19 testing and quarantine tasks according to the regulations.

For the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi air route, in July the Hanoi People's Committee asked the Ministry of Transport to tighten control of commercial flights from Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces and cities. The Ministry of Transport then requested the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to allow only two round-trip flights between the two cities per day.

So far, Hanoi has received only one regular passenger flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi on July 22 with a total of 299 passengers.

Many southern localities, including HCM City, have recently extended social distancing measures to halt the spread of the virus in the community.

Hanoi has also extended its social distancing order for another two weeks until August 23 in an effort to separate F0 cases from the community.

Vu Diep

Bamboo Airways, Vietjet, Pacific Airlines suspend all regular flights

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bamboo Airways, Vietjet and Pacific Airlines have suspended all of their regular passenger flights, while Vietnam Airlines and the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) are still operating some air routes.